For Want of Izuku's Toe Joint
by Raeigh
Summary: Since he only had one joint in his pinky toe, the doctor explained, there was a very high chance his quirk would manifest eventually. Years passed without any sign of it though, leaving Izuku to wonder if he could become a hero even without a quirk. Nevertheless, Izuku does have a subtle, but extremely powerful ability - the kind that could make him the greatest hero of all time.
1. Chapter 1

For Want of Izuku's Toe Joint

Summary: When he was four years old, the doctor showed Izuku and his mother the x-ray of the boy's foot. Since he only had one joint in his pinky toe, the doctor explained, there was a very high chance his quirk would manifest eventually. Year after year passed without any sign of it though, leaving Izuku to wonder if he could become a hero even without a quirk. Nevertheless, Izuku _does_ possess a subtle, but extremely powerful ability - the kind that could make him the greatest hero of all time.

A/N: If a canon event is skipped over in this story, just assume that it takes place exactly as it did in the anime/manga, or at least closely enough that it doesn't make a difference. This story contains minor manga spoilers about the origin of All Might's quirk.

Izuku swung his feet his feet idly in his chair as the doctor 'hmm'ed and peered at his medical chart. The man coughed, adjusted his glasses, and ruffled a few papers before speaking.

"Well, it is of course possible that young Mr. Midoriya possesses a quirk that is yet to manifest," allowed Doctor Yamada. "The longer it goes without showing a sign, though, the worst chance he's got. According to the bell curve, the probability of developing a quirk after age eight is less than five percent."

Mom looked flustered. "But… at the appointment four years ago, you said… the x-rays of his foot! He doesn't have the extra pinky bone so that means he has a quirk!"

Izuku perked up and stared down at his feet proudly. His toes hadn't let him down yet.

"It's not _quite_ that simple," hedged the doctor. "As you know, twenty percent of the population is quirkless. Well, a further ten percent of quirkless individuals still lack the extraneous bone. That means that although it's rare, two percent of all humans are both quirkless and single-jointed. Although it's considered impossible to have the extra joint and also have a quirk, _not_ having it doesn't guarantee you one."

The young boy deflated a bit, but didn't say anything. His mom and the Doctor had this conversation every year at his annual checkup. And every year, the probability of Izuku having a quirk just went down and down and down. In some ways, he would've preferred to just have the pinky bone and be done with it. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with this long, drawn out _agony_ of wondering "do I or don't I?".

"Is it possible though that Izuku has a quirk, but it's just… really subtle? Something that we haven't noticed yet?"

Doctor Yamada hummed. "You can pull small objects towards yourself, and your husband breathed fire, correct? Generally speaking, there's close to a fifty-fifty chance that Izuku would inherit one of those talents, or a combination thereof. Mutations do occur, of course, but most of the time they're at least tangentially related. Perhaps he might push objects away from him or manipulate fire another way. The further you get from the original quirk, the less likely it gets. Perhaps there's a ten percent chance he'd breathe ice instead of fire, or a one percent chance he could breathe underwater, etcetera."

"Breathing underwater would be really useful for ocean rescues, or floods," Izuku piped up. "I met Aqualady at a convention once. She can hold her breath for three and a half hours and also has a set of swimming lungs she uses to adjust her internal buoyancy to help her sink or float. She doesn't talk about it a lot, but she can also use them to deal with altitude sickness." Izuku had actually guessed that last part. He hadn't thought about it until he saw her, but once he did the idea just seemed to _click_ in his head. When he asked her, she seemed surprised but acknowledged that she'd never felt ill, even in Japan's tallest mountains.

For some reason, Doctor Yamada paused and looked at him carefully. "You… you really know a lot about quirks, don't you?" The man exchanged a glance with his mother. Oh. Izuku was used to pity. It was just too ironic that the quirkless boy knew more about quirks than anyone else in his class.

There was an awkward silence. "Well," Yamada began cautiously. "There's still hope… but if you haven't manifested any abilities by the time you start middle school- Uh. The chances are, well, zero point one percent. And the odds that your quirk is completely unrelated to your parents', enough to be unnoticeable… It's almost negligible."

Negligible, but not zero.

"Point one percent of people manifest their quirk in middle school, you know. It sounds really low but point one percent of ten billion is ten million. That's a lot of people who don't see their quirk until my age."

"Shut up, Deku," commanded Kacchan imperiously. "I don't need you to do math for me. Get back to your homework."

"Ah! Sorry Kacchan! I didn't mean to distract you- I got distracted myself. Problem 14b reminded me of that statistic though. It's just-"

"Zip it, Deku," Kacchan said. "No one wants to hear you start muttering."

By "no one", Kacchan meant himself, since he and Izuku were the only ones in Kacchan's room. The two boys sat cross-legged on the floor, homework spread out in front of them. He and Kacchan had a complicated relationship. Even though the blonde snapped at him and called him 'Deku', he was still probably Kacchan's closest friend.

The thing was, Kacchan was really proud and ambitious, which led him to judge people either as challengers or beneath him. Thus far everyone fell into the second category, except for Izuku. Kacchan was smart enough to know that even though the chance of him developing a quirk was small, it was still a non-zero number. Therefore Izuku was stuck in an odd in-between zone, since Kacchan wouldn't dismiss him as totally useless until they were sure he wouldn't end up with an awesome quirk.

That meant that oddly enough, quirkless Izuku was the only person Kacchan judged on their merits rather than their potential to beat Kacchan in a fight. And since they often vied for the number one and two spots in their class academically, one day Kacchan had imperiously declared that he and Izuku were going to do homework together "not that I need your help!" and that was that. Plus there was that time-

"Pay attention, Deku!"

Kacchan raised a bare foot and kicked out towards him. A small explosion snapped off in his direction, startling him but not so much as scorching his hair.

Izuku yelped and windmilled his arms as he fell backwards. He shielded his face, not to protect himself but rather to hide his grin. He knew that he didn't have anything to fear from his friend. If Kacchan had actually been trying to hurt him, the other boy would've used his hands. The blonde couldn't get a decent sized blast from the soles of his feet yet.

Izuku had been the one to figure out that Kacchan even had the potential to do that. It had been a guess, just... intuition, but something in him told Izuku that Kacchan might have secondary nitroglycerin sebaceous glands in his feet in addition to his palms. Kacchan had scowled and teased him for being 'a stupid Deku', but a week later came to school in flip flops and showed off his new skill. Kacchan had vehemently denied that Izuku's suggestion had anything to do with the development, but after that he'd been a little bit more willing to listen when Izuku had something to say.

"Ugh if you're not going to pay attention you should just go home," complained Kacchan.

Izuku rolled over, hopped to his feet and started collecting his things, ignoring the disappointment that flickered on Kacchan's face for a moment. He knew that the other boy would just be mad if he realized that Izuku had noticed it.

"I have to get home for dinner, anyways," Izuku said brightly. "Thanks for doing homework with me Kacchan!"

"Whatever, Deku," scoffed the blonde, but the quirk of his lips betrayed him. Kacchan was definitely a grumpy person, but he wasn't nearly as aloof as he liked to pretend.

"See you after the holiday! Maybe my quirk will have showed up by the time you get back," Izuku chirped hopefully. He ignored Kacchan's less than optimistic response. Even if it was just a zero point one percent chance, he was still holding out for a really awesome quirk.

It was kind of ironic that Kacchan had more faith in Izuku's potential to become a hero than All Might did. Their friendship had become strained recently, since Izuku's decision to apply to Yuuei's heroics department was announced. He was still in that gray area between rival and bug-beneath-my-feet in Kacchan's mind, but technically applying to Yuuei would put the two of them in direct competition, and also threaten the blonde's dream of being the only person to get into the course from their 'shitty state-funded middle school'. Kacchan wasn't outright cruel, but he was angry, and felt like Izuku was being selfish for acting against his dream. Izuku admired Kacchan more than anyone else—except for All Might—but he was still peeved enough at the hypocrisy that they weren't really on speaking terms. Even so… the fact that the blonde boy even considered it a possibility ranked his faith in Izuku higher than All Might's. The number one hero had been entirely unambiguous in telling him that he had no hope.

In fact, Izuku was so dejected that he nearly missed the commotion entirely. Still, it was habit for him to watch villainous encounters, and he was deeply curious about what kind of quirks might be on display. As if he weren't already feeling terrible enough, the dawning realization that his utter incompetence and bullheadedness had caused the villain that All Might had captured to get free felt even worse. It was like he'd swallowed a ball of lead. God he was so pathetic, so _pathetic_ and stupid and _quirkless_. He was an idiot for ever thinking that he could become a hero, and an even bigger idiot for thinking that he was going to wake up one day with a quirk despite the astronomically low odds, and an even _bigger_ idiot for being so desperate to be reassured by his hero that he caused a dangerous villain to get free. Some innocent person was going through agony right now because of him. That was the least heroic thing anyone could ever do. Kacchan was right to discourage him from becoming a hero. Kacchan was-

Kacchan was the one being suffocated by the green liquid monster.

Looking at them, Izuku suddenly _knew_ what was going to happen. The villain's body was fluid. He would fill up Kacchan's lungs and squeeze himself into the empty spaces in Kacchan's body, and wear Kacchan like a suit. The heroes would be too afraid of hurting the boy to attack the villain but by that point it would be too late. The villain's quirk didn't keep its victims alive. Kacchan would have suffocated and died long before the monster stopped using his body as a puppet. And it would all happen while he was surrounded by heroes, by people who were doing _nothing_.

Izuku didn't understand why he was so sure, nor did he understand exactly when he made the decision to intervene. Before he even had the chance to finish his thoughts, he'd already cleared the last bystander and passed the idle heroes. There wasn't a thought, or even a decision as he'd previously assumed. Izuku was used to analyzing, measuring, comparing. Sometimes it felt like he couldn't even decide on what cereal to eat in the morning without a bar chart and a mutter storm. Nevertheless, this time his body just moved on its own, and it was too late to back out.

He didn't know what the hell he was doing, but… the eyes! Izuku whirled around and tossed his backpack at the villain's eye, and was rewarded by seeing it flinch. It pulled back enough for Kacchan to gasp for breath.

"What the hell are you doing, Deku!" screamed Kacchan.

"I don't know. I don't-!" His eyes met Kacchan's. "I just. I couldn't watch you _die_!"

He almost started grasping at the sludge surrounding his friend, but an instinct told him that it would be futile. The villain's eyes had reared back, but Izuku's gaze caught on the mouth, which was off to the right of Kacchan. Before he could think about it, Izuku swung his leg towards it as hard as he could.

"Grahh!"

The slime monster screamed and flinched back even further, freeing one of Kacchan's hands. Izuku grabbed it and pulled as hard as he could, with his entire body weight. Kacchan's upper body fell out of the villain's grasp, and the blonde immediately turned around and started blasting at it.

"Die, die, die, die!" Kacchan screamed.

Izuku leapt to his feet and braced Kacchan's shoulders and back. "Your feet! Blast them out!"

The two of them shot backwards when Kacchan directed the full force of both his hands and feet towards the villain. Izuku braced himself to hit the pavement, but impact never came. Instead he was caught by…

"All Might!"

"Never fear, for I am here," laughed the hero.

Izuku worried about the man's health, but after that it was over almost instantly. In no time, he and Kacchan were sitting under rescue blankets, watching the remains of the villain be collected. It was surreal to think that ten minutes ago he'd been fighting for their lives. Kacchan seemed to be in a daze as well, although the blonde was getting heaped with praise for his incredible quirk. He didn't look Izuku's way even once.

"Wow, kid!" Mt. Lady grinned. "That was really impressive."

Izuku looked to his left, and then his right. Oh, was she talking to- "Me?" he squeaked.

Mt. Lady laughed. "Yes you! Do you have a foresight quirk or something?"

"Oh." Izuku flushed. "Um. Actually… I was just doing what felt right. I don't have a quirk."

Mt. Lady's expression changed faster than the hero Ingenium could run. "What! Quirkless!" she shrieked. Izuku flinched. That had caught everyone's attention. "Do you have any idea how reckless you were? How _lucky_ you got!? If your friend hadn't had such an incredible quirk…"

What followed was the most thorough reaming out that Izuku had ever received. Each hero there, with the exception of All Might, seemed to take turns telling him just how idiotic and lucky he'd been. Izuku burned with indignation. After all, _he'd_ been the one to actually free Kacchan, while they all stood around watching him die. Nevertheless, he knew that they were right. If one single thing had been different—like if his bookbag had missed, or if the villain's mouth had been too high to kick—then he would've died immediately.

Even though it had worked, it just reinforced how dumb he'd been. Yeah, maybe he could help beat one villain, but a hero couldn't keep relying on luck like that. Without a quirk, Izuku couldn't face the kinds of villains that heroes fought every day. And it was time to admit it: he was quirkless. All he'd done was make everyone mad at him. Even Kacchan was furious, storming up to him after the fact to tell him off.

"You idiot, Deku! I was _fine_ ," snarled Kacchan. "I didn't need your help. You don't… you don't get to _die_ trying to save _me_ , okay?" Kacchan was as close to crying as Izuku had ever seen him. " _I'm_ the hero! Damnit, Deku! You could've-"

Kacchan cut himself off, shoving Izuku away from him. The blonde spun around and skulked away before Izuku could even respond. What? Had Kacchan been… _worried_ about him? Before he could fully process that revelation, All Might jumped out in front of him. Their conversation was surreal, capping off an already unbelievable day. Nevertheless, for the rest of his life, there was one sentence that he'd never forget:

"Young man," All Might said. "You, too, can be a hero."

After that, Izuku and Kacchan's friendship was strained. Once Kacchan finally accepted that Izuku was going to apply to Yuuei regardless of what he demanded, they stopped speaking altogether. Izuku wished that he could do something to fix things, but quite frankly he was too busy with All Might's training regimen. In every bit of spare time he had, including during school, Izuku was working to strengthen some part of his body.

Therefore, he was doing his best to enjoy the brief respite the hero was giving him. Izuku lay flat on his back in a clearing in the rubble at Dagobah park, panting as he caught his breath. They were done for the day, but All Might wanted to pause and work on his flexibility. It was convenient, because Izuku had been trying to work up the nerve to ask the man a question for a couple of weeks now.

"Um."

The blonde man looked at him. "Yes, my boy?"

Izuku immediately averted his gaze, finding the sand beneath him extremely interesting. "Oh! N-never mind."

There was a pause. "You know," mused All Might, "A hero should never back down out of fear."

"No!" His green curls bounced as his head snapped back up. "I mean… It's not that I'm afraid, uh, exactly. It's just- um. Kind of rude."

"Well, go on," All Might encouraged him. "I doubt you'd say anything truly rude so it can't be that bad."

Izuku blushed. "Uh. It-It's just that." He took a breath. "One for All is a stockpiling quirk!" Izuku immediately ducked his head and tried not to tremble. The silence lasted long enough that he dared to peak through his fringe. All Might was gaping at him!

"You- you mean I'm right?" squeaked Izuku. He, well, he'd known he was right. He had an excellent intuition for quirks. Still, the secret about All Might's quirk was one of the greatest mysteries of modern heroics.

Finally, the man spoke. "What makes you think that?"

All Might's encouraging tone made him feel a bit braver, so Izuku raised his head again to meet his mentor's eyes. "Well," Izuku began tentatively. "It's just that… everyone says you can't have a stockpiling quirk, because you don't show any of the weaknesses of one. A stockpile… well, it runs out, and your energy never does.

"But they don't know what I do!" Izuku was on a roll now. He was a hero fanboy of epic proportions, and he rarely had an audience as intent as All Might was now. "You said that One for All was passed down from user to user, getting stronger and stronger- Um. I mean, a stockpile is just a bank of energy, basically, so it _always_ runs out. Even if it's got a multiplier or an interest rate, heroes can't afford to hold back often, and the way you throw around superpowered punches left and right should exhaust a stockpile pretty quickly… Unless you've hit the critical threshold."

"The critical threshold?" All Might questioned. Izuku had a feeling it was rhetorical, but he was too excited to hold back.

"Yeah! It's like… the stockpile is a bank, and like any bank it has an interest rate. If you've got 100 'energy dollars', and a zero point one percent daily interest rate, then you wake up with 100.1 dollars. It doesn't sound too impressive, but if you've got a _million_ dollars, then you get a hundred bucks every day. The critical threshold is when you have some withdrawal limit. If your withdrawal limit is 100 dollars a day, then the bank account is functionally infinite! Your account never loses money.

"And that's what's so sneaky about One for All! A normal person with a stockpile quirk is limited by the amount of energy they have in their stockpile, _not_ the amount that they can take out. But the whole reason we're training like this is to prepare my body to handle the quirk. That means there's more energy in One for All than I could possibly use… maybe even more than _you_ could possibly use. That's why your strength seems infinite; the previous wielders put so much energy into the stockpile that your withdrawal limit—the amount of energy your body can handle—never exceeds the interest rate!"

Plus, All Might was an enigma. He was singular. If there had been a whole line of people just like him, everyone would know. Instead, he was a hero that just _appeared_ one day and changed the whole world. It didn't make any sense- unless All Might himself reached the critical limit. One for All would have been powerful before hitting the critical threshold, but nothing like the unlimited energy source it became afterwards.

He was distracted from his thoughts (had he been muttering?) by All Might's booming laugh. "Young Midoriya, I constantly find myself surprised by you. Your perceptiveness is an incredible pleasure."

Izuku's blushed, but it was quickly tempered when All Might's gaze turned solemn. "I planned on waiting to tell you this, but since you've guessed so much of it already… You see, long ago, when quirks first graced this world, there was an incredibly powerful, yet incredibly terrible man. He had the ability to take away others' quirks, and bestow them upon those he deemed worthy. We do not know why—whether it was an act of kindness or a bribe—but the man decided to give his quirkless brother a simple stockpiling ability. What he had no way of knowing, however, was that the brother was _not_ in fact quirkless. He just had an ability that was subtle, and would never have shown itself otherwise: the ability to pass his own genetics off to others. His native quirk merged with the one gifted to him, and One for All was born."

Izuku pondered what he'd been told. It made sense. More than that, though, it just felt right. "All Might?"

"Yes, young Midoriya?"

"Do you… do you think maybe I'm like the brother? I don't have the pinky bone that quirkless people have. What if I had a quirk and never knew it?"

All Might hummed, considering the question. "I think, my boy, that it doesn't matter. I didn't choose you as my successor for any skills or attributes you may or may not have. I chose you because you have the spirit of a true hero. It makes no difference to me whether or not you have a quirk, subtle as it may be. All that matters to me is in here."

Izuku stumbled backwards as All Might tapped him on the chest, over his heart. He worried his lower lip, trying to suppress both his smile and the tears that threatened to spill. No one had ever told him that he mattered, that there was something intrinsic to him that mattered more than any quirk. All his life, it had just been a challenge to be _seen_ beyond his lack of a quirk. But All Might—his greatest hero—had done so, and had seen something in him so admirable that he wanted to make Izuku his successor. It was almost overwhelming.

"I swear, All Might… I won't let you down! I'll work harder, twice as hard, until I'm worthy of One for All! And then, I'll be the best hero ever!"

All Might smiled at him, but it was different from the grin Izuku had seen countless times on the TV. Those other smiles didn't look half as proud. "Of that, my boy, I have no doubt."

His days passed in a haze of sweat and hard work, and before he knew it, Izuku was standing in a fully cleared beach, readying himself to receive All Might's power. After swallowing the hair (ugh, gross) Izuku could almost immediately feel a difference. It was like a fluttering sensation in his stomach that was slowly spreading out through him.

"I feel it," mumbled Izuku incredulously.

"You do?" asked All Might. "It should talk a couple of hours at least- just enough time to work its way through you before your exam."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I don't think I could go punching down mountains or anything, but I feel different. Like I'm changing."

All Might scrutinized him. "Indeed you are, young Midoriya. Now, there's not much time! Go eat breakfast and prepare yourself!"

"Yes sir!"

With that, Izuku set off back home. His mother was fluttering around the kitchen and hovering by him nervously. Normally that would set him off but he was too distracted by the energy within him. It was kind of like… well, a fart. It was a sensation that kept building and building, like a dam ready to be released. It didn't feel painful, but it was unmistakable and impossible not to notice. Izuku didn't understand why All Might thought he _wouldn't_ feel it. Thinking about it, turning his awareness inwards as it spread from his stomach to the crown of his head and the tips of his toes, occupied him until he reached Yuuei. In fact, he was so distracted that he nearly tripped over his own feet. Luckily a kind girl used her quirk to save him.

Izuku was so absorbed in his thoughts that he wasn't even worried about sitting next to Kacchan, and he was only a little bit embarrassed about having his muttering called out in front of everyone. When he finally lined up with the other contestants in front of the gate (noting that Kacchan got sent to a different arena), he felt… excited. One for All had reached every corner of him. Izuku felt that he could use it in an instant. In fact, it was harder _not_ to use it.

Once the doors opened, all his competitors rushed in, but Izuku walked distractedly, looking down at his hands. To his awe, they started glowing, threaded with lines of energy that must be One for All. The power built and built and built until-

"Whoa!" he cried.

It felt like his arm was about to explode. Izuku yanked back on the power and the glow subsided. Right, he had to be conscious of his limits. The stockpile had enough energy to immediately rip him to shreds from the inside, like a firecracker going off internally. He had to be careful not to surpass his threshold. (Also, Izuku clicked his mouth shut. Mumbling was a habit but he probably shouldn't talk about One for All's secrets out loud).

Izuku tried to focus the energy to his arms again, but he had the same problem. Frowning, the boy focused on his issue. It was like… by trying to empower his arms, he was creating a bottleneck of energy. All the power in his body was flowing towards his hands, as if even the energy in his torso and legs was shifting upwards to compensate. That created a sort of back pressure that made it incredibly difficult to modulate his strength. Reinforcing his shoulders didn't help either, because then he had to strengthen his chest, and then his core, and so on. Everything in his body was connected, after all. Maybe if he enhanced his arms and his legs at the same time, it would prevent the back pressure from being so bad? But then, why not enhance everything?

"I've got it!" Izuku cried.

The problem was that he was trying to reinforce _one_ part of his body, but his quirk encompassed all of him. One quirk for All his body, duh. Izuku could see that he was glowing, like a cowl of energy surrounded him. It was just in time too, because at that moment, a robot with the number "1" on its arm leapt out in front of him.

Izuku's body moved faster than he'd ever imagined, and almost before he realized what was happening, his fist punched through its head.

"Ha! Yes!" he shouted gleefully. There was a sting in his knuckles, like he'd punched a tree or something, but otherwise he was fine.

"Six minutes and two second left!"

"Wuahh!" cried Izuku. He immediately set off at a sprint. It was incredible how fast he could flit around the mock city. It didn't take long for him to encounter another robot, this time worth two points. Remembering the sting in his hand, Izuku decided to try kicking it instead since his shoe would pad him somewhat. It worked equally as well, maybe even better considering that his legs were stronger than his arms.

Izuku quickly set upon other targets, sometimes poaching them from other examinees (much to their chagrin).

"Sorry!" he called over his shoulder. Izuku felt bad about it but there just weren't enough enemies for everyone to get them. He was up to eleven points, but his arms and legs were seriously starting to sting. Hm. Izuku wondered if he could split his focus, using a portion of the energy to enhance his strength, and another portion to act as a sort of cushion for his body.

"Ah!" Izuku yelped as he unexpectedly shot forward at an even faster pace. Oops. He forgot to account for the fact that cushioning himself meant that he could tolerate further enhancement. Suddenly a robot rounded the corner, directly in his path, and he smacked into it head first.

"Ow!"

Izuku rubbed at his forehead. The blow stung, but not as much as his previous attacks had. Plus, the robot lay before him, incapacitated. "It worked!" he cheered.

"Damn it!" a voice cried.

Suddenly, Izuku realized that there had been a whole crowd of kids following behind the enemy he just felled. Oh. It was a three pointer. They'd all been chasing it and he managed to defeat it by pure luck. Izuku chuckled awkwardly. Oops. Nevertheless, he was up to fourteen points now. The crowd grumbled at him but there wasn't any time to spare so everyone dispersed quickly.

They were almost out of time. Izuku sprinted around the arena, trying to find any opponents. He stumbled across a two pointer. This time, Izuku was expecting the greater increase in strength, and it was child's play to shoot forward and punch at it, making sure to reinforce his arm. There was still a sting when his knuckles made contact, but it was more akin to hitting a punching bag than a tree or a wall. Sixteen points!

Only one minute left! There was a commotion off to his left and Izuku's jaw dropped. The zero-point enemy had made an appearance and it was no joke!

"Whu-what! They expect us to fight that thing! No way, it must a trick. We should probably..." Izuku was so distracted by his mumbling and hypothesizing that he almost didn't see the girl stuck underneath the rubble. It was the same girl who saved him before the exams!

He ran forwards, but he could tell that it was no use, even with his quirk propelling him. He'd never reach her before the enemy. But maybe... if he used his full power- No! It would tear him apart.

Izuku remembered what All Might told him after the incident with Kacchan and the slime monster. A true hero puts his body on the line, no matter the cost! If he hesitated now, if he let someone get hurt because he was too afraid to be hurt himself... then he could never call himself a hero!

Izuku finally stopped holding back. His power was like a massive river held back by a dam, and Izuku threw the flood gates open! He did his best to shield himself from the backlash but it was like trying to kayak on a raging river. He could barely keep himself afloat.

While he was flying through the air, Izuku was in agony. He'd probably broken his legs in multiple places, but at least they weren't blown off of him entirely. Focus! He'd have time for pain later. As he neared the robot's head, he gritted his teeth and reared back his fist.

"Smash!" screamed Izuku, thrusting his arm forward.

Even through the pain, Izuku was in awe of his new power. The zero-point bot was forced backwards, its head a mangled mess. Izuku had a brief moment to feel pride before the pain and gravity set in. As he was falling, Izuku tried desperately to come up with a plan. His arms and legs were broken, but maybe not completely unusable. And he still had one fresh arm. The ground approached rapidly, but just as he was going to attempt to stop his momentum, the pink haired girl from earlier slapped him. His body suddenly became weightless and floated above the asphalt. Oh right! Her quirk was zero gravity.

The girl made an odd symbol with her hands and Izuku hit the ground with an oomph while she leaned over and retched.

"Time's up!"

While he'd like to say that he bore his pain stoically and manfully, in actuality he pretty much laid in a heap, groaning, until the nurse lady literally kissed him better. Although his physical pain was gone, it was almost worse to walk out of the examination area, hearing the other kids talk about their points. Many of them had far more than sixteen. Even with the unbelievable power that All Might had given to him, Izuku had still been outperformed by way too many examinees to be comfortable. Maybe his less than impressive practical score would be offset by the written examination. Izuku just had to hope that it would be enough.

The inclusion of rescue points was kind of obvious, in hindsight. There was more to becoming a hero than just being able to destroy some villain-bots. Still, Izuku wasn't ashamed to admit that he cried more than a few tears after All Might's video. Plus, his sixty rescue points put his total practical score at seventy-six, second place by one point to Kacchan. It was a pretty familiar spot for Izuku. Even though Kacchan gave off the airs of a guy who was all brawn and no brains, he was consistently at the top of their class in academics. Only Izuku had ever managed to beat him, and even then only rarely. If he'd had even another hour with his quirk to work out the kinks prior to the exam, maybe he would've gotten a better score than Kacchan!

Their middle school principal was ecstatic, of course. Not one, but two of his students had been accepted to the most prestigious high school in the nation. Izuku listened to the man gush with one ear. The rest of his focus was on Kacchan who seemed pensive. Izuku would take pensive; that was better than angry. When the principal let them go, he and his friend walked side by side out of the building, though no words were exchanged. Izuku couldn't help but vibrate a bit with nervousness. Kacchan's reactions were always hard to predict. It had been a long time since he reacted universally with rage, at least when Izuku was involved, but this was serious business. Plus, ten months of silence was a long time for his friend's personally to change a little.

When he couldn't handle the silence any longer, Izuku blurted: "A-are you mad at me, Kacchan."

The blonde didn't look at him or stop walking. "I did tell you not to apply to Yuuei, Deku." Surprisingly, the words weren't barked or strained. Rather, it was almost as if Kacchan was talking about the weather. Izuku ducked his head. He couldn't think of anything to say in response. He couldn't say sorry, because in truth he _wasn't_ sorry. Not at all. Eventually, Kacchan stopped and turned towards him.

"Your quirk finally showed up."

It wasn't a question. Kacchan wasn't stupid. He must know that there was no way quirkless Deku could manage to beat enough villain-bots to get sixteen points, let alone sixty rescue points. Izuku raised his eyes to meet Kacchan's gaze. He was going to be a hero; he could have one awkward conversation without flinching.

"Yeah," agreed Izuku. "It's an enhancement-type quirk. I get physically stronger, but if I over enhance myself I end up breaking bones. That's why I've been working out since- uh. For a while. My main limitation is the strength of my body. I got my rescue points by beating the zero-point bot to save someone, but broke both my legs and my right arm."

Kacchan stared at him stoically for a moment. "That's nothing like either of your parents' quirks."

Normally, that statement would fluster Izuku quite a lot. He wasn't exactly the coolest cucumber in the grocery store. However, that was one observation that Izuku was well prepared to answer. He expected that he'd get that question many times throughout his life. Famous heroes had biographies written about them, after all.

"The chance of getting a quirk unrelated to your parents' is small, but not as small as developing it in middle school."

"Hm," mused Kacchan. "You started working out so much right after that slime villain thing. So it developed right after that."

Izuku stayed quiet. It wasn't exactly right but it was convenient. Even if he didn't get One for All that day, that'd been the moment that changed the trajectory of his life, so it was almost the same thing.

"Tch. Typical. I was supposed to be the only one from this shitty middle school to get into Yuuei. It was going to be my hero origin story. Instead, you fucking trying to save me from that dumbass shit of a villain awoke your quirk. I'm just the fucking _damsel_ in _your_ origin story."

"Kacchan," protested Izuku weakly. Smoke was starting to drift up from Kacchan's palms. The blonde's gaze was intense.

"Listen here, _Deku_. I am _no one's_ side character. I beat you on the entrance exam, and I'm always going to beat you at Yuuei, so don't get your hopes up."

Izuku stood dumbfounded while Kacchan stalked away. After about twenty meters, the blonde turned back and scowled at him. "What the hell are you dawdling for, Deku?"

Startled, Izuku found himself jogging forward before considering what the heck he was doing. "Um. Aren't you… mad at me?"

Kacchan scoffed. "I'm fucking furious, nerd." He glanced at Izuku before muttering grudgingly: "But you've always been a decent challenge in school. Keeps me sharp. I don't see why that should change in high school."

Izuku grinned, turning away so that Kacchan didn't see his pleased expression. He was pretty good at translating Kacchan-ese, and that statement meant something along the lines of _"It wasn't my plan, but you're my friend and if anyone had to get into Yuuei, I'm glad it was you."_ Maybe he should just count his blessings and let it go, but Izuku had no intention of being in Kacchan's shadow forever.

"Kacchan," Izuku said. "You need to understand…" He slowed to a stop, looking Kacchan in the eye so that the other boy could see how serious he was. "My dream… is to be the number one hero! You- you're amazing, but my goal is to beat you." Izuku raised a clenched fist. "And I'm going to keep working harder and harder in order to win. So… you'd better watch your back, because I'm not going to slow down!"

If he thought his words would enrage Kacchan, then he was mistaken. Instead, the blonde grinned, though the smile had a vicious edge to it. "You can try, Deku. You can try."

A/N: My explanation for Katsuki and Izuku's friendship, if it wasn't clear enough in text (this has manga spoilers btw): In the manga, Katsuki says unambiguously that the reason that he always hated Izuku is because Izuku never stopped challenging him. He said that he felt like Izuku was looking down on him, as if he thought that Katsuki was trash. This becomes understandable when you realize Katsuki's mindset. He isn't like Izuku or the others in 1A; he doesn't think in terms of "good" and "bad" (this is why he's so attractive to the villain alliance). Instead, he only thinks in terms of victory and defeat. In the flashbacks, we see that All Might inspires him because All Might never loses. Katsuki wants to be a hero because heroes always win, and he always wants to be a winner. Therefore, he doesn't have the capacity—especially when he was a child—to see Izuku standing up to him and thinking "Izuku is doing this because he thinks I'm wrong". When someone stands up to him, in his mind, it's a challenge. They're trying to usurp his place as the top dog. Therefore, he interprets Izuku fighting him as Izuku basically saying "Yeah, I'm a quirkless loser, but I can still beat you". In canon, Katsuki calls Izuku a stepping stone, a nothing. Therefore, if a nothing loser is saying he can beat Katsuki, he must think that Bakugo is a nothing loser too. And Izuku does it again and again and again. According to Katsuki, Izuku spends their entire childhood looking down on him and calling him a loser. Remember, Katsuki isn't the one to start a fight with Izuku; Izuku steps up and defends someone else. In Katsuki's mind, he's just going around showing the playground who the top dog is, and one of his best friends spits in his face (and continues doing so for the next decade).

In this story, maybe Izuku stands up to Kacchan, but the critical factor is that he's not quirkless yet. Katsuki thinks of everyone as either a challenger or beneath him, but Izuku's the exception. In his mind, until Izuku gets his quirk (or definitively _doesn't_ ) it's too early to put Deku into one of those categories. So instead, Izuku goes in no man's land. And while he's there, he becomes the only person who Katsuki judges by factors other than "can I beat this kid in a fight". He realizes that, hey, this Deku kid is pretty smart, etc. Izuku is basically the only person that Katsuki sees as an actual human being, rather than just a rock beneath his feet. And somewhere along the line, they become genuine friends (even though Katsuki will always be something of a dick).


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I was all excited for the quirk apprehension test. I spent a goodly amount of time crunching numbers and doing some research (I am a scientist, after all), and my conclusions were that the numbers we're given in canon for everyone's results at the various tasks, as well as the "5%" strength thing that Izuku gets in canon are all total bs and not reconcilable with science. Therefore I'm going to avoid quantitative results as much as possible and try to describe Izuku's test scores purely qualitatively in comparison to his classmates. Also, I realized that I had to include a little scene in the beginning to explain the whole "5%" concept to those who only follow the anime, sorry!

Also:

MAKE WAY FOR THE GAY! This story is going to strongly feature Katsuki/Izuku from this point onwards. That means that there will be romance between two boys. If this is something you don't want to read, consider yourself warned. No, I'm not going to waste space in the summary warning for slash, because I don't have room. This is your one and only warning, and I sincerely do not care if you're disappointed that you read the first chapter and "wasted your time" or whatever.

GAY

STUFF

AHEAD

Dagobah beach was pretty at night. Izuku felt a jolt of pride when he realized that it was only pretty because of _him_ , because of what he'd done to make it that way. All in all, Izuku was walking on clouds. He'd gotten _second place_ in Yuuei's entrance exams, and his mentor was the coolest hero to ever have lived! So maybe he wasn't paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should've.

"All Might!" he called out jubilantly.

"What? All Might? Where?"

Oh oops. It took a second to rectify his error, but then he and All Might could talk uninterrupted. "Midoriya, m'boy, I'm so proud of you! You did better than I ever could've imagined."

Well, that was it. His poor mother would have to pick out coffins for her only son because Izuku was dead. Completely dead. He'd somehow ascended straight to heaven without even realizing that he'd escaped his earthly chains, because there was no way this was real life. Izuku wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't locked in an asylum, living out some crazy fantasy. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes, trying not to cry.

"Th-thanks All Might. I couldn't have done it without you." Izuku raised his watery gaze up, up, up to meet All Might's eyes. "Thank you! I- you… No one's ever believed in me like you did."

The man grinned down at him fondly, and clasped him by both shoulders. "Young Midoriya, all I did was give you the means to fulfill your potential. The hard work was all yours. You earned your spot at Yuuei. I wasn't involved in the scoring at all. Truthfully my boy, you were incredible. I never imagined that you'd be so natural at using One for All. You grasped its intricacies instantly."

"A-all Might. I just… did what felt right." Izuku still wasn't entirely convinced that this wasn't a dream.

The man chuckled and tousled his hair. "You've got excellent instincts, young Midoriya. That will take you far. Now the only challenge is training up your body to match."

"Yes, sir!" Izuku sobered and nodded with conviction. "The difference between the power I was using through most of the test and the full power I felt when I fought the zero-point bot… it was incredible."

All Might tapped at his lips thoughtfully. "Indeed. I was blown away that you could modulate its power at all, so soon after receiving my quirk. Still, the energy you were using in the beginning, do you feel like that was the most you can channel without harming yourself?"

Izuku felt his power thrumming just under the surface of his skin. It was hard to believe that all that force could be contained just by his body. "I was able to push my limits a little bit by using some energy to sort of cushion myself and reinforce my body, but I don't think that I could use any more power without breaking my bones and stuff."

All Might blinked, surprised. "Hm, what an excellent idea. Forget One for All, your real power is up here." He tapped Izuku on the forehead. Izuku blushed. "Still, I'd say that if what you used against the zero-point bot was one hundred percent of your strength, then what you were using stably was about… oh, five percent of that. Maybe you can eke out a few more percentage points with that trick of yours."

"And the only way to bring that up is to make my body stronger and stronger, right?"

"Got it in one! Over time, your body will be able to handle a greater proportion of your power. Also, your maximum strength will increase as well. Your one hundred percent is a long way off from _my_ one hundred percent, after all. I thought that I'd have to spend most of our time teaching you control, but luckily we can focus all our energy on training your body. You'll see, young Midoriya. Soon, you'll look back and be amazed at how far you'd come."

"I-I'm already amazed, All Might. I promise that I'll work harder than ever!" Izuku knew that he still had a long way to go. Still… he could see it… Midoriya Izuku, number one hero!

To say that Izuku was excited for his first day at Yuuei would be a major understatement. He was practically vibrating, but he tried to keep himself contained.

"Can you believe it? We're going to be taught by a real pro hero! I wonder who it'll be? It would be so cool if it were Present Mic, don't you think. Oh, I heard that Midnight teaches there too. If she were our homeroom teacher I don't think that I could ever answer a question. I'd be way too embarrassed."

" _I'm_ way too embarrassed to be seen out in public with you right now, Deku."

"Ah sorry, Kacchan!"

The two of them were on the commuter train that would stop close to Yuuei. He and Kacchan had resumed their tradition of walking to and from school together, now that their friendship was mostly repaired. Although they were talking to each other and hanging out again, they were still trying to figure out exactly how they fit together.

Case in point: Izuku had been so busy musing about their first day that he didn't realize that they'd come to a stop. It wasn't their destination but Izuku was blocking the exit.

"Ugh," complained Kacchan, before he grabbed Izuku's upper arm and pulled him until they were flush, shoulder to shoulder. Kacchan's hand lingered for a second before dropping and brushing against Izuku's thigh. It was completely normal for even complete strangers to have to squish together on the train during rush hour, but Kacchan still blushed slightly.

"Sorry," Izuku called towards the passengers that he'd been blocking.

"Stop yelling in my ear, Deku," grumbled Kacchan.

"Oh, sorry," Izuku whispered.

"And stop apologizing so much. You'll never be a pro hero if you can't grow some guts."

Kacchan leaned against him a little bit though, almost as if to take the sting out of his words.

"Ah, sor- I mean, right!"

Kacchan had never been physically demonstrative with him, or anyone really. Recently, however Izuku noticed that they Kacchan touched him more often. He'd knock shoulders with Izuku, or nudge him with his elbow, or like just now, grab him and move him rather than just tell Izuku to move. It was definitely odd but also kind of nice, so Izuku made sure not to comment on it. Kacchan was easily embarrassed (even if he rarely showed it) and would probably stop if he knew Izuku had noticed.

Izuku continued chattering until they got into Yuuei's main building. Despite his cool façade, Izuku could tell that Kacchan was anxious for their first day too (although probably not as much as him). He assumed that he was a pleasant distraction rather than an annoyance, because Kacchan wouldn't hesitate to say so. When they reached the nosy reporters blocking their path, Kacchan just yelled at them and burst straight through, but he grabbed Izuku and pulled him in his wake. Izuku grinned. Kacchan probably wanted him around, then, since he could've used the crowd to ditch him if he felt like it.

When they got into room 1A Kacchan immediately made a bee line for an open desk in the middle of the room. Izuku, however, was waylaid by the really intense guy from his examination group.

"Hello!" the taller boy said, really… uh, intensely. "I am Iida Tenya from Soumei Middle School!"

"Eheh," chuckled Izuku nervously. He unconsciously shuffled backwards a bit. "U-uh. I'm Midoriya Izuku."

"Midoriya Izuku!" cried Iida.

"Y-yes?"

"I must hand it to you. You intuited the true nature of the practical examination." Iida turned away slightly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. Izuku inched backwards, but Iida shifted closer. "Meanwhile, I had no idea. I completely misjudged you. Midoriya! I must apologize for speaking to you so disrespectfully when Present Mic was explaining the rules! Clearly you were uncovering the true challenge while I allowed myself to be distracted! Please-"

"Will you shut up?" grunted Kacchan. Izuku had backed up so far that he'd hit Kacchan's desk. "You're giving me a headache."

Iida gasped. "How can you speak to a fellow classmate so rudely? And get your feet off your desk!"

Seeing his opportunity to escape, Izuku cautiously sidestepped the taller boy and crept backwards. Izuku met Kacchan's eyes and mouthed 'thank you'. Kacchan just scoffed and turned his head to the side, clearly ignoring both Izuku and Iida. After that, he met the girl from the practical exam, whose name he still didn't know considering that they were interrupted by their, uh, rough looking sensei.

The man, Aizawa, must be a pro, but Izuku had no clue who he was. Considering Izuku's obsession with heroes, that said something. Either this guy was really, really good at being sneaky, or so bad that Izuku'd never heard of him. The latter was virtually impossible, because Izuku knew _everyone_ in the hero circuit. He'd give his teacher the benefit of the doubt. Plus, he had a feeling that Aizawa was the real deal, and he'd learned to trust his instincts.

Before Izuku could get his bearings, Mr. Aizawa was herding them into their PE uniforms and out onto the field. Apparently they were going to have a quirk assessment test, with a lot of exercises they did in middle school- except this time they could use their quirks to boost their scores. The teacher had Kacchan demonstrate, and Izuku goggled at how far his friend was able to blast the softball.

"Whoa! That's amazing Kacchan! Good work," gushed Izuku.

"Hmph. That was nothing, Deku. Next time I'll get 800 meters," grumped Kacchan, but he looked pleased at the praise.

"Oh," Mr. Aizawa added nonchalantly. "And whoever places last overall will be expelled."

The students stared at him. "You're joking, right?" one brave redheaded boy asked.

Mr. Aizawa just smiled at them humorlessly. "This isn't a game. You're all training to be heroes. It's a cutthroat profession, with a very real chance of being hurt or killed. No one will go easy on you in the real world, so don't expect me to go easy on you here." The teacher met Izuku's eyes. "Besides, Yuuei had a reputation to maintain. We accept the best, but we only graduate the best of the best. We've got no interest in putting out inferior heroes just because you were lucky enough to make it past a few robots."

Their teacher stared at them silently—long enough for that statement to sink in—before starting them on the fifty meter dash. Izuku was impressed by the creativity his classmates displayed using their quirks. Kacchan blasted himself like a missile, of course, but one boy propelled himself with a laser in his navel, and a girl somehow pulled a rocket-powered bicycle out of her body and smoked her partner.

Izuku took the opportunity to marvel at the scene. He'd never seen so many incredible quirks used openly like this. He was practically in Nirvana. He was a bit anxious at the prospect of being expelled, but his quirk was ideal for physical tests like these. Indeed, when his turn came, Izuku handily beat his partner, a girl who strongly resembled a frog.

"Wow!" she cheered. "Your quirk I'd awesome! Ribbit. I'm pretty sure Iida's the only one who was faster than you, and speed's kind of his thing, you know."

Izuku chuckled sheepishly. "Ah, no, the girl with the creation quirk was faster than both of us, actually."

His partner grinned. "Still, you should have no problem on these tests. I'm Asui Tsuyu by the way, but call me Tsuyu."

"Oh!" Izuku couldn't help but smile as well. "I'm, uh, Midoriya Izuku! Nice to me you Asui."

"Tsuyu," she corrected firmly.

"Right, sorry Tsuyu."

"Quit dawdling," called Aizawa. "Didn't I say that you all aren't here to make friends?"

"Sorry sensei," the two of them replied.

Still, Tsuyu winked and whispered to him: "Good luck Midoriya. Do your best!"

"A-Ah! You too, Tsuyu." Izuku marveled at Tsuyu's kindness. They were technically competing against each other but she showed no signs of it. He was pretty sure that he just made a new friend.

Next they tested grip strength. Izuku thought for sure that he'd have an advantage on this one, but a guy with six arms and someone who had a sugar-based stockpiling quirk beat him outright. The girl with the creation quirk made some sort of mechanical clamp. Izuku kind of thought that was cheating but Mr. Aizawa allowed it without question. Needless to say she got first place in that exercise.

Izuku grew increasingly disquieted as that pattern repeated itself. He always did well, consistently placing in the top five, with the exception of the standing long jump. There were tons of people in the class who could rocket themselves through the air, or glide, or turn themselves weightless, or leap like a frog, etcetera. A few other students had things that they excelled at, something that truly distinguished them. Iida did amazingly on the 50 meter dash. Kacchan and the pink-haired girl impressed in the softball throw. Izuku managed a respectable 400 meters in that event, but considering Kacchan's 700 plus meter throw, it was nothing to write home about. Even though he doubted that he'd end up near the bottom, Izuku still wished that he could do something really special.

He was somewhat mollified by his showing during the sit-ups event. His strength-to-weight ratio was by far the greatest in the class, and Izuku had access to a virtually unlimited energy source. It wasn't too complicated to tweak his ability a little bit, sacrificing peak strength in favor of endurance. Izuku continued doing sit-ups long after everyone else had finished, until Mr. Aizawa got bored.

"Alright, alright. You win this one, Midoriya. I'll just mark you down as infinity and move on. Jeez."

For someone who'd threatened to expel a student based on their exam marks, Mr. Aizawa didn't seem to actually care that much about their results. He acted like the whole charade was just one big inconvenience to him. Nevertheless, that was one event at least that Izuku excelled at. The endurance run went similarly. That girl with the creation quirk beat him, but only because she remade the motorized bike that won her the 50 meter dash. Izuku understood that it was a _quirk_ assessment test, but surely it wasn't fair for one student to have a motor scooter while everyone else had to run! The tests ended with the sitting toe touch, where Izuku embarrassed himself by placing dead last in the class. His training had optimized physical strength, often at the expense of flexibility. Plus, there was a student who could actually grow longer limbs. He couldn't compete with that.

At the conclusion of the events, class 1A gathered anxiously around Mr. Aizawa, who posted the results without fanfare:

Yaoyorozu Momo

Todoroki Shouto

Bakugo Katsuki

Iida Tenya

Tokoyami Fumikage

Shoji Mezo

Midoriya Izuku

Ojiro Mashirao

Kirishima Eijiro

Ashido Mina

Uraraka Ochaco

Koda Koji

Sato Rikudo

Asui Tsuyu

Aoyoma Yuga

Sero Hanta

Kaminari Denki

Kyoka Jiro

Hagakure Tooru

Mineta Minoru

"Hmm." Mr. Aizawa "Well that's it. We're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus from the classroom and read it over before tomorrow morning." He glanced over at a boy who had strange, purple balls on his head instead of hair. "Mineta, don't bother coming back tomorrow. You can talk to Administration about transferring to the General Studies course. Or not. I don't really care. Feel free to keep the uniform though; I doubt it'd fit anyone else."

"Wh-what?" asked Mineta, his voice breaking. "Th-that's a joke, right?"

"Nope," replied Mr. Aizawa, not even turning around. "You got last place. You're expelled, just like I said in the beginning."

Mineta looked too stunned to protest, not that it would've mattered. Mr. Aizawa strolled out of the clearing before anyone could respond anyway. There was an awkward silence among the students, before Mineta started sniffling, and then ran off behind a building. His crying was audible. Most of Izuku's other classmates did as they were told and retreated back to the classroom (including Kacchan). They didn't actually know Mineta after all, and had no obligation to try to comfort him. Still, Izuku couldn't just leave knowing his fellow- uh, _former_ classmate was in such a position. Iida, Tsuyu, and the pink-haired girl seemed to have a similar thought process. The four of them cautiously approached Mineta.

"Uh, are you alright?" Izuku asked.

"What Mr. Aizawa did was too cruel!" cried Iida. "There's more to being a hero than just physical fitness tests."

"Please leave me alone." Mineta sniffled. "I don't-I don't want to talk about it."

Izuku and Iida exchanged glances. Well, it'd be rude to linger now, even if he felt awful for the other boy. The pink-haired girl was undeterred.

"I'm Uraraka Ochaco, sorry we didn't get a chance to talk earlier. It's just… you shouldn't give up! You never know what might happen."

Mineta gave her a watery glare. "No. It's over. My dream is toast. It was stupid to think that I could become a hero anyways."

Tsuyu just sat down silently next to Mineta, wrapping her arms around her knees. After a moment, she said: "You know, ribbit, Yuuei allows students from the General Studies course to transfer into the Heroics course after the annual Sports Festival. It's open to General Studies students, so they can compete and try to impress the teachers. If you do well, you can show Mr. Aizawa what a mistake it was to look down on you. Your dream doesn't have to end here, not if you don't want it to."

Mineta's mouth fell open. "You mean-? I… I need to think. Th-thanks for, uh, you know. But, can you just… give me a little bit?"

"Yeah sure," Tsuyu replied before the rest of them could respond. "I'll just hang out over there for a little bit in case you change your mind." She gestured to a tree around the corner. "You guys should go ahead and get going," she said to Iida, Uraraka, and Izuku.

He had to admit that he felt somewhat relieved to be given an out. Iida and Uraraka seemed to feel the same way, because neither of them protested. It was a somewhat solemn walk back to the classroom, but it was hard to keep up the negative attitude once they'd gotten their things and started heading home. After all, none of them actually knew Mineta, not really, and all three of them had placed really well in the rankings. It was hard not to be at least a _little_ excited about the day's proceedings.

"I guess I never really introduced myself, huh. My name is Uraraka Ochaco. You're Iida Tenya, and you're Midoriya Deku, right?"

Izuku blinked at her, surprised. "Where'd you hear that?"

Uraraka stared back guilelessly. "Isn't that what the exploding boy called you?"

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh. Me and Kacchan have known each other since we were kids. That's just his nickname for me. My name's actually Izuku."

"So it's an insult!" cried Iida.

"N-no! Um. Well, Kacchan's pretty good at making anything he says sound like an insult, so I see where you'd get that impression." Plus, it actually _had_ started as an insult, during a phase when Kacchan had been really mad at him. But then they made up and Kacchan punched a kid in the grade above them who called him 'Deku' snidely. "But Kacchan doesn't even bother learning most people's actual names. I was the only person growing up whom he had a real nickname for, rather than just some weird description like 'curly hair boy' or 'hey you'."

"I like it!" declared Uraraka brightly. "It kind of gives off a 'you can do it' vibe."

"O-oh," Izuku blushed. "Um. You can call me Deku, if you want."

Before Uraraka could respond, they'd reached the train station, and found Kacchan leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Fucking finally," he sighed gustily. "Took you long enough, Deku. Why're you wasting time with these extras?"

"E-extras!?" Iida sputtered indignantly.

Izuku felt his face morph into a horrified expression. "K-Kacchan! Don't be so rude. Iida and Uraraka are really nice!"

"Tch. Whatever." Kacchan grabbed Izuku's wrist and dragged him off in the direction of their train home. Izuku craned his head around and waved at his new friends. "Bye Iida! Bye Uraraka! Sorry about Kacchan. I'm sure he didn't mean it!" Actually, he was sure that Kacchan _did_ mean it, but sometimes a white lie was superior to the truth. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye Deku!" Uraraka called back.

"She calls you Deku?" muttered Kacchan once they were out of earshot. He honest-to-god pouted, although he'd probably claim it was a scowl.

Izuku managed to repress his laugh, but couldn't stop his eyes from rolling upwards. "Well, maybe if you didn't call me that before anyone even knew my real name, it wouldn't have stuck."

"Whatever."

Kacchan tugged on his wrist a bit, making him stumble. Izuku grinned. That meant that he couldn't think of an adequate verbal response. One point to Deku.

"If any of them call me fucking Kacchan, though, I'll fucking kill them."

Izuku chuckled sheepishly, but he felt warmed by the fact that Kacchan hadn't ever had a problem with _Izuku_ using that nickname. "Uh, don't worry Kacchan. I'm pretty sure that no one would be so familiar with you." He was pretty sure their classmates would be too intimidated by Kacchan's prickly exterior to call him such a casual nickname. Izuku grinned and leaned his shoulder against Kacchan's, since that was apparently something they did now.

"Today was pretty exciting, don't you think? It was amazing seeing everybody's quirks! I'm kind of intimidated by Mr. Aizawa, though. I can't believe that he expelled a student on the first day!"

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "What're you worried about? You scored in the top half of the class." Izuku blushed and grinned down at his shoes. Kacchan had must've looked for his ranking, since his own spot was higher. If he'd just been scanning the board from the top down for his own name, he would've stopped before seeing Izuku's ranking.

They boarded their train, and stood together by the doors. Izuku held onto the pole in the middle, and Kacchan grabbed the handled of Izuku's backpack, resting the rest of his arm on the bag. Izuku beamed at him. This was probably the closest Kacchan had ever been to slinging an arm around him. The blonde scowled and looked to the side, but he didn't move away at all. Only Kacchan could make a smile look pleased.

"Hey Kacchan?" said Izuku shyly. The other boy didn't respond, but he glanced over so Izuku knew he was listening. "Thanks."

"For what?" Kacchan asked gruffly.

"Um. For being my friend."

Kacchan huffed, and tugged on his backpack so that Izuku's shoulder was pressed to the other boy's chest. "Whatever, Deku. You're alright," Kacchan said, as if he weren't basically hugging him. Izuku grinned and stared down at where his hand was gripping the support pole, so that he wasn't tempted to comment on the hint of red dusting Kacchan's cheeks. Their first day had been exciting, for all the stress and drama. Izuku couldn't wait to see what the rest of the school year would bring.

A/N: Bakugo's got a cruuuuuush. Neither of us can handle how ridiculously cute Izuku his. Plus, he's definitely noticed how Izuku's been working out recently.

So I split Izuku's rankings as follows: 50 Meter dash: 3rd; Hand grip: 4th; Long jump: 12th; Ball throw: 6th; Situps: 1st (the manga has "sustained sideways jumps" instead of situps, but the anime clearly shows them doing situps); Endurance run: 1st; Upper body: 4th; Toe touch: 20th. When I averaged those numbers, I got 6.375, so I just stuck him in seventh place and called it a day. If you're curious why I chose those particular numbers in each field, feel free to ask. Otherwise, the order is exactly as presented in canon. I ended up having to kick Mineta out because it's strongly implied that Aizawa had every intention of actually expelling the bottom ranking student unless they impressed him (like Izuku did). The line in the anime is a bit odd, so I like the translation I found from the manga: "It's not a cruelty to end the half-ass chasing of a dream." Let's be real, Mineta's reason for being a hero ("heroes get chicks") at this point in canon is as half-assed as they get. There's no way that Aizawa doesn't expel him. He actually has a pretty useful quirk, but personally I'm not crying too much about his departure. Besides, now you all know that I won't hesitate to deviate from canon if I feel like it haha.

Also, on the topic of nicknames, can we pause for a moment and talk about how freaking _cute_ it is that Izuku calls Katsuki "Kacchan"? It's presumably short for Katsuki-chan, and if I know my Japanese culture, it's a really, really babyish was of saying someone's name. It shows how innocent Izuku is that he still calls Katsuki that, and also shows Katsuki's soft side for not exploding every time Izuku said it. (For the closest English equivalent, imagine that Katsuki's name was "Alexander", and Izuku spent years unironically calling him "Little Allie" without getting his head blown off.)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N: Poor Katsuki just wants to be a gruff badass, and stupid Deku keeps being unreasonably adorable and making him lower his defenses.

Over the next few days, Izuku settled into his new high school routine. In the mornings, it was just like any other school; they were taught English by Present Mic, along with all sort of normal subjects. However, their afternoons were dedicated entirely to hero work. For at least an hour every day they had a physical conditioning class conducted by All Might. It was beyond bizarre to see his mentor dressed up in a tweed suit, trying to pass himself off as a normal teacher. However, Izuku managed to look kind of cool and aloof for once; he was one of the few students able to talk with All Might without stammering. Luckily Izuku'd had the benefit of being coached by All Might for nearly a year, else he'd be the biggest fanboy of them all. Of course, the afternoon hero courses weren't just physical. They also learned about laws and regulations of heroics, how to run a hero agency, and first aid, amongst other things. Plus, every once in a while, they'd have a special event, kind of like the one happening tomorrow.

"Aren't you excited Kacchan? Battle training sounds really neat! I wonder what All Might's going to have us do."

"I'm looking forward to crushing all those extras in our class, yeah."

Izuku turned his gaze skyward in exasperation. After nearly a week of high school, Kacchan _still_ didn't know a single one of their classmates' names. Plus, he continued his trend of calling them 'extras' to their faces. All in all, it didn't win him too many friends. It was really strange for Izuku to be more popular than Kacchan, but at least Kaminari and Kirishima didn't seem too put-off by Kacchan's prickliness.

The two of them were on the train again. Kacchan was standing unnecessarily close, holding onto Izuku's backpack _again_. Izuku wasn't sure what was going on. He and Kacchan didn't talk much at school. Kacchan preferred to read or do homework during lunch, even though he'd sit with them all. Instead, Izuku started spending more time with his classmates, particularly Iida, Uraraka, and Tsuyu. However, the more he hung out with his other friends, the more Kacchan sulked, even though Izuku always tried to include him, and was inevitably turned down. Then, as soon as school let out, Kacchan crowded close to him on the train. The handle of Izuku's backpack became Kacchan's favorite place to hold onto, and they'd spend their commute home brushing against each other before heading to one of their apartments to do homework.

"You shouldn't be so cocky, Kacchan! Everyone in our class is amazing, and we all passed the same entrance exam. You never know what they might be capable of."

Kacchan scoffed. "Tch. As if any of _them_ could even make me sweat." He leaned a little more of his weight against Izuku.

His pulse quickened. "O-okay. If you say so, Kacchan." He hoped his voice didn't tremble from the odd feeling in his stomach.

Izuku really wasn't certain what was going on with them… but he knew it was nice. Standing there with Kacchan leaning against him- it gave Izuku a weird feeling in his chest. It was like his ribs were too tight, but also like he could float away if Kacchan weren't tethering him down. Every time they brushed against each other, his skin tingled and he had to suppress a shiver. Izuku had always been in awe of Kacchan, but this sensation was new. It was strange and uncomfortable, but in a good way. He wanted Kacchan's eyes on him, and he wanted Kacchan to stand too close to him. So it was beyond frustrating when Kacchan scowled at him and retreated whenever Izuku brushed their shoulders together at school, but then crowded up against him as soon as their classmates were out of sight.

Plus, tension had been building during the past week. Kacchan sulkiness got worse as time passed. Part of Izuku wanted to just throw his hands up and let Kacchan figure it out himself; paying attention to him didn't work, and _not_ paying attention to him was even worse. However, the bigger part of him knew that he _really_ liked the, uh- whatever they were doing. And he was afraid that if he left Kacchan to deal with it on his own, things would just blow up in their faces (that was the blonde's specialty, after all). So he thought he knew what he had to do, and he was pretty sure he had to do it soon. Izuku just… tended to wimp out every time he tried.

The problem was that after school, Kacchan was always the one reaching out to him- to grab him or lean on him or, uh, whatever. And even though it was more than just… um. Kacchan always made sure to keep things well within the boundaries of, er. The thing was, Izuku knew that it wasn't just- uh. And Kacchan wasn't dumb. He must know that Izuku knew. God, Izuku couldn't even _think_ it, let alone say it. And anyway Kacchan was the brave one, always blazing a path ahead without any hesitation. But still, it must be hard for him to keep, uh, doing _stuff_ when he wasn't even sure if Izuku even… you know… back.

"Oh my god, Deku. Stop fucking mumbling. People are staring at us."

Oh no. Izuku finally noticed that Kacchan was stiff as a board next to him, grip white on the support pole. People were indeed giving him weird looks, but that wasn't the issue. Izuku's mumbling was definitely off-putting and a bit incoherent, but pretty easy to decipher if one stood as close to him as Kacchan was currently. His face burned and was probably glowing like a neon light. If he'd said all that out loud… if Kacchan had heard all that, then. There was a difference between Kacchan probably knowing that Izuku knew and _knowing_ that Izuku knew.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Kacchan's jaw clench, and feel him start to shift away to put space between them. Before he could think about it, or consider the pros and cons and do in depth analysis… most importantly, before he could _wimp out_ , Izuku's arm wrapped itself around Kacchan's waist. Oh god. If he'd thought his face was burning before, that was nothing. Izuku wasn't even entirely sure that he was breathing- nope. He was definitely not breathing. He should probably start breathing again.

"Jesus fuck, Deku. Take a fucking breath; I'm not going to kill you."

Izuku sucked in a lungful of air, and dared to peek at Kacchan through his fringe. The other boy was glowering at him, but Izuku knew the difference between his 'I want to kill you' scowl, and his 'Bakugo Katsuki is too cool to smile, so I'm scowling instead' scowl. One the terror abated, Izuku started to feel… good. Really good, actually. He didn't even notice that he was beaming at Kacchan until the blonde blushed and looked away.

"It's just a hug, Deku, not a million bucks," Kacchan muttered.

"It, uh, kinda feels like a million bucks to me," Izuku admitted shyly.

Kacchan stared at him, before barking out a laugh. "Deku that was the cheesiest shit I've ever heard in real life." Except, Kacchan shifted his arm so that instead of grabbing onto his backpack, it was slung around his shoulders; Izuku counted it as a win. He still had no freaking idea what to make of their… everything, but the weird tension between them seemed to have gone away. It was like Izuku let out a massive breath that he didn't even know he'd been holding. Izuku wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision, but he didn't regret it. How could he with Kacchan's arm a line of heat across his shoulders? Still, this might make everything go up in flames. Izuku shivered when the train hit a bump, causing Kacchan's grip to tighten reflexively. Well, whatever happened, Izuku was going along for the ride.

Their commute into school the next day was really… nice. When Izuku bid goodbye to his mom and clomped down the stairs to the ground floor of his apartment complex, he found Kacchan waiting for him out front. Kacchan had casually wrapped his arm around Izuku's shoulders as if he did that every day, and Izuku timidly put his own around the boy's waist. They'd stayed in that position for more or less the entire trip, chatting about what battle training would entail. On a related note, Izuku grinned for almost the whole train ride. However, once they got to the train station by school, Kacchan stiffened and slid smoothly away from Izuku, making his way outside.

Izuku was disappointed, but it was kind a big deal to saunter into high school like that, especially since they hadn't bothered talking about… anything, yet. He worried his bottom lip and caught up to Kacchan, who was standing by the station's entrance and looking back at him in exasperation. Heh. He'd probably been muttering again. The closer they got to school, though, the deeper Kacchan's scowl became. The blonde brushed against Izuku a few times, arm twitching as if it wanted to return to its previous spot. Izuku's breath caught every time it happened, secretly hoping that Kacchan would do it.

By the time Yuuei's gates were in sight, Izuku and Kacchan were walking so closely that their shoulders bumped against each other with every step, but still Kacchan didn't go any further than that. Izuku mustered up his courage long enough to say "Kacchan," but his words failed him after that. You couldn't just _tell_ someone that you wanted them to put their arms around you. That would be horrifically, indescribably awkward. But Izuku miscalculated, because he'd already gotten Kacchan's attention, so he had to say _something_. Instead, Izuku compromised by staring at Kacchan's arm, and then the school gates, and then back at the arm, all while kind of shrugging his shoulders. He thought it was a pretty decent pantomime, but apparently his message didn't get across correctly, because Kacchan looked almost… hurt, for an instant, before his expression returned to his standard scowl, and he took a step away from Izuku.

"Fine, Deku. If the thought of-"

"No!" blurted Izuku. He had no idea what Kacchan was going to say, but there was no way the blonde was interpreting what Izuku 'thought of' correctly. Izuku's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, but no sound came out. He physically could not make himself say the words, like they were stuck behind his teeth. He was running out of time though, because Kacchan was looking more and more irritated, shoulders hunching up defensively. "U-um, you see… It's just- you. And I, also. _We_ , that is. Uh. K-kacchan, wait!"

Kacchan didn't wait. Instead, he began pivoting back towards the school. Desperately, Izuku's hand shot out and… sort of… grabbed onto Kacchan's hand. And, uh, stayed there. Kacchan froze, but his hand reflexively tightened around Izuku's. He couldn't see Kacchan's expression, since his friend was turned away from him.

Oh god. If there was truly an all-powerful, benevolent higher power in this universe, then it should smite him where he stood. Really, it'd be an act of mercy. He—Midoriya Izuku—was holding Bakugo Katsuki's hand, and there was no way this was going to end well for him.

"Uh, I just, um. Thought. You probably don't want to. But if you did. Want to, that is…" Izuku had started out basically mumbling but by the end he'd trailed off into a decibel audible to only dormice. Stupid, stupid, stupid. God, Deku. Way to ruin everything. To make things even worse, he could feel his eyes welling up with tears. Why did he have to be such a crybaby all the time? Izuku couldn't imagine anything more humiliating than standing in front of his high school and crying because Kacchan wouldn't hold his hand. Unbidden, a single sniff escaped him, cutting the thick silence like a knife.

Suddenly, Izuku was tugged forward, but Kacchan didn't let go of his hand. His eyes darted up to Kacchan's face, and the other boy looked almost… fond. "Deku." Izuku had never heard Kacchan say his nickname so tenderly. Kacchan was probably embarrassed that he sounded so soppy, because he cleared his throat and tried to scowl. It didn't quite come out right though, still looking a little bit like a smile. "We're going to be late, c'mon," Kacchan said gruffly, before tugging him towards Yuuei.

It took Izuku a few steps to realize that Kacchan pulling him by his hand meant that Kacchan was _still holding his hand_ , and by the time they got through the gates into school, he understood that Kacchan had no intention of _letting go_ of his hand.

"Oh. Oh wow. Wow. Kacchan's holding my hand. Okay. No problem. Just remember to breathe, keep putting one foot in front of the other-"

"Deku you're mumbling again."

Izuku giggled nervously and cut himself off, but instead of being embarrassed he felt euphoric. He'd had no idea that his hand was directly connected to so many dopamine receptors in his brain. Izuku was walking in school, with Kacchan, holding hands, and Kacchan didn't even look angry. Well, whenever someone's gaze lingered on them for too long, Kacchan shot them a truly murderous glare that quickly sent them scurrying on their way, but other than _that_ he didn't seem angry. Izuku's head was so far in the clouds that they'd walked into class 1A before he realized that he wasn't completely sure he wanted to deal with the fallout of his entire class seeing him and Kacchan like that.

He didn't have time to consider what to do next before Kirishima waved at them. "Hey Baku-whoa! Bakugo and Midoriya are holding hands!"

It was eerie how quickly everyone else's conversations ground to an instant halt, while all the heads in the room swiveled towards the door simultaneously.

Kacchan bristled. "Yeah? You got a fucking problem with it, Shit-for-Brains?"

Kirishima raised his hands, palms facing outwards. "No way, dude. I was just surprised, is all. I mean, I knew Midoriya's quirk was pretty cool, but I didn't realize it was so strong."

Izuku and Kacchan glanced at each other, confused. "Um. My quirk?" Izuku asked tentatively.

"Yeah!" agreed Kirishima brightly. "It must make you invincible. I mean, I can turn my whole body into stone but even _I'd_ be too afraid of getting my arm blown off to hold hands with Bakugo."

The classroom was absolutely silent while everyone processed that statement, before Kacchan exploded. "You fucker! I'll kill you!" He let go of Izuku and lunged towards the redhead. Kirishima cackled and dodged out of the way.

Izuku gaped at the two of them for a moment, before Uraraka prodded him in the side. She and Iida had sidled up to him while Kacchan was distracted.

"So," she grinned. "You and Bakugo, huh?"

At this point, Izuku was pretty sure that his face would turn permanently red. "What? Me and Kacchan? What about us? You're wondering if we're really good friends? Because we are, you know, really good friends. We grew up together. We've always been great _friends_ even if our relationship- I mean, not relationship. Friendship, you know? Even if it was sometimes pretty explosive. Haha. Get it? Explosive? Haaaaaa…"

Uraraka seemed stunned by his deluge of words. Her mouth opened, but she paused and turned to Iida. Iida shrugged. The girl visibly gathered herself before trying again. "Uh, Deku. Of course we know that you and Bakugo are good friends. And me and Iida don't care if you and him are friends or, um, other things. It's just, uh." She coughed. "Boy friends don't usually hold hands."

"Boyfriends," Izuku squeaked shrilly. "Who said anything about- Oh! You mean boy friends." Izuku enunciated the last two words far more than necessary. "As in friends-who-are-boys. Boy friends—I mean—friends-who-are-boys hold hands all the time." Desperately, Izuku grabbed Iida's hand. "See? Iida and I are friends-who-are-boys and we're holding hands right now."

Iida's face colored, but just as fast as the blush appeared, it drained away. He stared in horror over Izuku's shoulder. Izuku suddenly realized that he couldn't hear Kacchan's chant of "Die, die, die, die!" anymore. He gulped and turned his head slowly. In the back of the classroom, Kacchan had caught Kirishima and had one hand clenched in the redhead's shirt, and the other raised into a fist. Kacchan's eyes, however, were laser locked on Iida and Izuku's joined hands.

"Private School," Kacchan hissed out his nickname for Iida. "What are you doing holding Deku's hand?"

Iida jerked out of Izuku's grasp like it burned. "U-u-um, I wasn't," the bespectacled boy said eloquently.

"Oh yeah, totally normal friends-who-are-boys behavior, here," muttered Uraraka.

Kacchan dropped Kirishima and stalked towards Iida. "Re-ally?" drawled Kacchan darkly. "Because it sure looked like-"

"As fascinating as this all is, it's time for class to start." Mr. Aizawa was slumped against the lectern at the front of the room, sleeping bag zipped up to his chin. Izuku hadn't seen or heard him enter at all. "And actually I don't care at all about your angst."

Kacchan stopped in his tracks, scowling at Iida, and slid his finger against his neck in the classic "you're dead" motion. Iida got to his seat so fast that he must've used his quirk. Once the bespectacled boy's back was turned, Kacchan's lips twitched, betraying his mirth. Seeing it kind of made Izuku feel like Uraraka had used her quirk on just his insides, so he brushed his hand against Kacchan's intentionally as they made their way to their seats. He smiled up at the blonde through his bangs. "Thanks, Kacchan," Izuku whispered. He didn't even know what for. He just knew that despite his embarrassment, he was really happy.

Kacchan 'hmphed' and looked away, but he totally failed at scowling. Plus, his face-

"Whoa, Bakugo! Are you _blushing_?" Kirishima apparently had literally zero self-preservation instincts.

"Shut the fuck up, you bastard!" roared Kacchan, who lunged at Kirishima again. The redhead squawked and flinched backwards, but Mr. Aizawa's scarf wrapped itself around Kacchan and restrained him.

"Seriously!" barked Mr. Aizawa. "Shut up and sit down! I can and will give you detention, to be served _this afternoon_."

Their first battle trial was supposed to be this afternoon. As far as threats went, it was extremely effective.

"Great," muttered Aizawa once they were all seated and attentive. "Now that that's all taken care of, let's get started."

It had been minor torture, sitting there like it was a perfectly normal day, as though every student in class 1A weren't staring at the clock, waiting for the afternoon to come. It seemed like enough hours passed to fill three school days when All Might finally took over. In the locker room, Izuku absentmindedly wondered what everyone else's costumes would look like, until he accidentally glimpsed Kacchan's bare chest. Blushing bright red, Izuku stammered something that even _he_ thought was incoherent, before turning back to his own locker and hurriedly donning his hero costume. He'd mainly kept the design that his mother made for him, given that she worked so hard on it, but he asked the support department for armored gauntlets and boots. Punching and kicking those robots during the entrance exam had stung something fierce.

Izuku was pretty pleased to end up on a team with Uraraka, even though she gave him a sly look like she wanted to continue their conversation from the morning. Luckily she didn't have a chance, since they were selected for the first battle. He gulped when he realized that they were going to face off against Kacchan and Iida.

"Are you nervous to fight your- uh, to fight Bakugo?" Uraraka asked as they were setting up.

Izuku frowned. "Yeah, a little," he admitted. Their _whatever_ was so new, and he wasn't sure it'd survive a fight so soon. "But I'm more excited. I-uh, haven't told anyone in high school, but I didn't actually develop my quirk until last year."

Uraraka gasped. "Really? That's so rare."

"Yeah," nodded Izuku. "And… you have to understand, Kacchan is _incredible_." He looked over to see Uraraka hiding a smile behind her hand. "N-no, I'm not just saying that because of, uh, you know. And I know that he's surly and hard to get along with, but he's amazing. He's always been effortlessly strong, and unbelievably smart. He's ambitious, and confident no matter what challenge he faces. For as long as I've known him, he's always been at the top of, well, everything: grades, athletics, you name it. I've followed him around our whole lives, just to… bask in his glory, kind of. He's always been my measuring stick- my goal."

Izuku swallowed and stared at the ground. "It's kind of strange, to say it out loud, but we've been waiting for this forever. You know how quickly he judges people."

"Oh yeah," Uraraka snorted. "I've definitely seen that."

He blushed and chuckled. "He's always been that way- about everyone… everyone except for me. I could always challenge him in academics, but hero stuff? We never really got a chance to see about that. So instead we just… waited, and while we waited we became friends- _real_ friends. And I just. I don't want him to see me the way he sees everyone else. I watch him all the time, and he's always so cool." Izuku bit his lip and shrugged. "I want him to… look at _me_ that way too, you know?"

When he raised his eyes, Izuku saw that Uraraka was holding her hands in front of her mouth, and had stars in her eyes. "Deku," she said, and her expression morphed to one of intense determination. "We're going to win! You already _are_ amazing. The way you took out that zero-point bot to save me in the entrance exam… it was incredible!" She punched the air, as if in demonstration. "When we beat Bakugo and Iida, he'll be forced to see it too! True love will prevail!"

"Wuahh!" flailed Izuku. "True love?" His voice was an octave higher than intended. "Haha, that's a little hasty, don't you think? We've barely even held hands. Besides, we're just friends."

Uraraka sighed. "Boys."

Luckily, he was saved by the bell (or in this case, All Might's voice). "Indoor battle trial… begin!"

He and Uraraka's eyes met, and they nodded determinedly. Using Uraraka's quirk, they floated up to the third floor, sneaking in through a window. They tried to sleuth stealthily through the hallways, and Izuku thought they were doing pretty well until Kacchan appeared in a burst of flame. He'd been prepared to use One for All, its energy humming just beneath his skin this whole time. Therefore, Izuku was able to grab Uraraka and dodge backwards without getting hit. He stared grimly at the scorch marks on the wall. He hadn't suspected that Kacchan would hold back at all, even considering their, uh, thing. But still, it was intimidating to see his hunch confirmed.

"That's a pretty cool power, Deku," Kacchan smirked. "You think it can stand up to mine?" There was a glint of hunger in his gaze, and normally that'd freak Izuku out, but right now… he understood completely. He'd spent so many years watching Kacchan and waiting, but now Kacchan's gaze was on him and him alone. Izuku thought he was just as desperate for this fight as Kacchan.

"Uraraka," Izuku said, not once taking his eyes off their enemy. "Try to find Iida. I'll take care of this."

She agreed and ran off in the other direction. Kacchan didn't even twitch. "You're gonna take care of me, huh? Got a quirk and all the sudden you became a cocky little shit."

Anyone else would be insulted, but Izuku could see how pleased Kacchan was. "I've been observing you for years. I know all your moves, but you don't know any of mine!"

"Maybe you should put your money where your mouth is, Deku!" Yelled Kacchan as he sprinted forward.

He felt the energy of his quirk thrumming inside of him, and Izuku was anxious to move. Still, he was patient until Kacchan cocked back his right arm. Izuku slid his left foot backwards, preparing to pivot the other boy over his shoulder. Before the blow could connect, though, Kacchan let out an explosion from his right hand. That didn't make sense! It was too early-

Izuku slammed into the wall. Of course. The explosion had changed Kacchan's direction, allowing him to punch out with his left hand instead. He didn't have time to think though, because Kacchan was on him in an instant. Izuku was forced to backpaddle, desperately blocking Kacchan's flurry of blows. He could shield himself with One for All so that the explosions didn't hurt, but the force of them still sent him reeling.

"Thanks for warning me that you knew all my moves, Deku! I figured I'd switch things up," cackled Kacchan.

Izuku scowled. Damn. His big mouth had given away his greatest advantage. Well, two could play at that game. Instead of blocking the next explosion, he focused more energy to his front and let it hit him head on. Izuku rolled backwards with the force of it. Sure enough, Kacchan hesitated for just a moment, surprised at the sudden change. Kacchan had backed him up against a corner, and when he completed his roll, Izuku's feet were braced against the wall. Skin crackling with power, he uncoiled and shot forward, tackling Kacchan around his middle.

The blonde grunted as he hit the ground below him, and Izuku fumbled for the 'capture' tape that would tag Kacchan out. Before he could though, Kacchan stretched his arms out above his head and used his explosions to propel himself out from underneath Izuku. Then, he used Izuku's trick and bounced off the wall towards him, but Izuku ducked in time.

Izuku took a breath and calmed himself down. This wasn't working. "Catch me if you can, Kacchan!" He turned around and sprinted away through the maze. Kacchan might be able to keep up with his top speed, but he wasn't as maneuverable as Izuku through the tight corners. Kacchan was right. He'd been way too cocky, assuming that his foreknowledge of Kacchan's fighting style and One for All would even out their gap in skill. But standing tall and blasting through any challenge had always been _Kacchan's_ strength. Izuku did his best when he had time to plan and analyze, so as he ran he tried to strategize.

"The tight confines are both an advantage and disadvantage," mumbled Izuku. "It gives Kacchan clear lines of sight to use his explosions. It's hard to fight him head on because he can blast the whole area in front of him. But it also means that I'm more maneuverable than him, and with my quirk all I need is one direct hit to incapacitate him." He thought about how he'd caught Kacchan off guard before, by kicking off the wall. "Huh… that might-"

"Deku!" Izuku jumped before he realized that it was Uraraka, speaking through their headsets, not Kacchan. "I found the bomb. It's on the middle room on the fifth floor, but Iida removed everything from the room that I could use my quirk on. Come up when you get the chance!"

Before he could respond, there was an explosion in front of him, as Kacchan appeared from around the next corner. "Stop running, Deku!"

Instead of stopping, Izuku jumped up and somersaulted over Kacchan. The flabbergasted look on his face was priceless. When he was completely upside down, Izuku kicked off the ceiling and punched downwards. Kacchan managed to avoid getting decked in the head, but Izuku grazed his front and sent the blonde stumbling. He pressed the advantage, advancing on Kacchan. The other boy was much better on his heels than Izuku had been, and used his explosions judiciously to keep from being overwhelmed. Still, he was clearly disadvantaged. Kacchan could only create explosions from his palms, and so he had to move his whole arm to aim for Izuku's constantly shifting position.

Izuku stepped up onto the wall and kicked out with his other foot. Kacchan blocked that, but Izuku landed a punch onto the boy's shoulder. Because of the awkward angle, there wasn't enough force for it to be debilitating, but even a glancing blow strengthened by One for All would majorly smart. "You have to point and shoot, Kacchan, but I can strike from any direction!"

Kacchan didn't reply, too busy keeping track off Izuku's erratic, springing movements. He was wearing Kacchan down. He was going to win! Finally, Kacchan overextended himself. Izuku had tripped him up so that he was stumbling backwards, and had gotten inside his guard. There it was, his chance! Izuku's fist was cocked back; a punch to the face would-

His punch didn't connect. It wasn't because Kacchan blocked it; Izuku's plan had been perfect. He'd… hesitated. Despite it all, Izuku didn't want to hurt Kacchan. He could've knocked Kacchan out, but head blows were dangerous even without taking One for All into account. Kacchan hadn't needed more than that split second of indecision to create space between them. Instead of counterattacking though, he stood still, fists clenched.

"Deku…" Until this moment, Kacchan hadn't looked genuinely angry. "What the hell was that?"

Izuku flinched. He understood Kacchan's fury. If their roles had been reversed… if Kacchan had stopped just short of victory… it'd be humiliating. He didn't want Kacchan to take pity on him, and he knew that Kacchan felt the same way. "I don't know. My body just… reacted before I could think." As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. The last time something like that had happened was when Kacchan had been captured by the slime villain- one of the boy's lowest moments.

"Damnit Deku, I don't need you to pull your punches! Don't think that you can beat me without giving it your all! Just because I let you hold my hand doesn't mean that I'm going to go easy on you."

Before Izuku could respond, Kacchan ran forward. Izuku clenched his fists and prepared to dodge; he wouldn't disrespect Kacchan again. He'd end this in one blow!

When Kacchan was about three meters away, he leapt into the air, grinding all of Izuku's careful plans to dust. What was Kacchan thinking!? He was too far away to jump unaided. He'd have to put his hands behind him to propel himself forward, which would put him at an immediate disadvantage.

By the time Izuku realized what was happening, all he could do was brace himself with as much of One for All's power as he could handle. A controlled burst of flames erupted from Kacchan's boots, propelling him forward- probably at a pace even faster than Iida could manage. He grunted as Kacchan slammed into him, pushing him back, back, back. Izuku had never experienced a blow so strong, but he turned all his focus to defense. He could do it. He had to do it!

It was still jarring when he hit the wall. Kacchan, genius that he was, disengaged his boots and created explosions in his hands an instant before impact. The blasts killed his own momentum while adding to Izuku's. The collision knocked the wind out of him… but Izuku was fine. He slumped down the wall and curled up while he tried to catch his breath. The shock of the blow plus his own shock at surviving unscathed made him tremble. "Stupid," Izuku gasped. "How could I forget your feet? _I_ was the one who discovered it in the first place."

"My gauntlets collect sweat from my palms, and my boots collect sweat from my feet. I can use them to create incredibly powerful blasts. You did good, Deku. I wasn't going to use them because it's too dangerous, but you forced me to stop holding back. Still, you're just not on my level yet."

Later, Izuku would look back on that 'yet' and be flattered. Kacchan was trying to say that he recognized Izuku's potential. In that moment, however, he was incredibly incensed. He got even more peeved when he looked up and saw the concern and guilt on Kacchan's face. It was subtle, but Kacchan couldn't hide anything from him. Izuku suddenly realized how he must look, hunched over and shaking. Kacchan _was_ worried about him, so much that he'd let his guard down completely, so much that he was blind to the lack of pain in Izuku's expression.

It was kind of cowardly, taking advantage of that concern, but nothing pissed Izuku off more than when Kacchan was a massive _freaking_ hypocrite. "Kacchan," he wheezed, playing up his breathlessness. "You were right. I shouldn't have underestimated you. I'm sorry."

Kacchan's gaze softened. "It's fine, Deku. I get it-"

"But you should've taken your own advice!" Izuku roared as he sprang upwards and clocked Kacchan right in the jaw. He didn't enhance his blow at all, but he was still really strong without One for All. Kacchan reeled back from the force of it, stunned. He'd be down for at least a little while. Izuku sprinted full speed towards the room that Uraraka had mentioned. They didn't have much time left.

When he got there, he saw Uraraka chasing Iida in an awkward game of cat and mouse. Before Iida could see him, Izuku started punching and kicking the columns around him, creating rubble and debris. Iida was faster than him, too, so joining in the chase wouldn't help. "Uraraka!" He called when he'd busted up enough stone. "Switch with me! Make all this float so that Iida can't run around as freely!" If Iida was forced to maneuver around all the floating rubble, Izuku and Uraraka might be able to pin him down.

Slowly but surely, Izuku's plan started to work. The two of them forced Iida into a corner, and Uraraka wrapped the capture tape around him. "We did it!" she cried, high fiving Izuku.

"Yeah!" agreed Izuku, as he reached for the bomb.

"Stop!"

Kacchan stood at the entrance of the room, panting. A nasty bruise was beginning to form on his cheek, and he had one hand extended towards them, his other holding a pin on his grenade gauntlet.

"You've seen what this does from my feet, Deku. You know that my gauntlets will be ten times stronger."

He did. Izuku gulped. Kacchan's explosions had never leveled out between his hands and feet. If he'd been capable of such an impressive blast from the latter… the explosion from his gauntlets would be truly incredible.

"You can't do that!" cried Uraraka. "Your partner is in the way!"

Kacchan just smirked. "You forget, Round-face. I'm playing the _villain_ here." He let out a villainous-sounding laugh, before his grin grew even wider. "But sure. I don't want to kill you scrubs. That'd look bad on my record." There was a glint in Kacchan's eye, and he shifted his aim slightly, so instead he was pointing at the bomb. "However, in this game, _that's_ a nuclear bomb. If you don't surrender, I'll blow it up."

"But that will- uh, _would_ kill you too!" Izuku blurted.

"Maybe," Kacchan allowed. "But it would _definitely_ kill all innocent civilians in the city. So what's it going to be, heroes? Are you going to try to win, even if it means risking millions of hypothetical lives?"

Time was ticking down. Surely they had less than a minute left in the exercise. Izuku thought as fast as he could, but he couldn't see a path to victory for them.

Uraraka clenched her fists. "No! We won't surrender!" She ran towards the bomb, and Kacchan's fingers twitched on the pin of his grenade gauntlet, but Izuku acted faster than either of them.

Everyone—Iida included—gaped at him in surprise when he wrapped the capture tape around Uraraka.

"Deku!" she cried, dismayed.

"I'm sorry," he gritted, glaring at the floor. "But Kacchan's right. Even if we dodged, even if he didn't blow up the bomb this time… we're talking about fighting a guy who makes explosions, in a room with a _nuclear bomb_. It's guaranteed to go off eventually. There's no way this fight ends without the whole city going up in flames."

Izuku raised his eyes and scowled at Kacchan, who appeared to be just getting over his shock. "We surrender."

There was a long silence, before All Might's voice sounded over the loudspeakers. "Ah, in this round… victory goes to Team D!"

Uraraka huffed and ripped the capture tape off, stalking out of the door angrily. Iida had also removed his tape, and seem unsure whether to congratulate his partner or scold him. "That was very unheroic! Although, I suppose we _were_ villains and I am very glad to win. Thank you! But… were you really willing to explode me?" Iida asked plaintively.

Kacchan barely glanced at him. "Fuck off, Private School. I want to talk to Deku."

Iida meeped and retreated, throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder at Izuku.

Izuku couldn't even look at Kacchan. He was furious at himself. He'd forgotten all about the capture tape until the very end. If he'd used it on Kacchan instead of being self-righteous and punching the boy, then he and Uraraka would've won the challenge. Kacchan must think that Izuku was a total idiot.

Kacchan's feet entered Izuku's field of vision. "Hey Deku," he called. Izuku looked up. There was a weird glint in Kacchan's eyes that Izuku didn't recognize. "I'm pretty pissed. That Rocket Thrust was my second-best move and you shook it off like it was nothing. I'm fucking furious that I had to use a dirty trick to beat you." Kacchan smirked. "But, then again you had to resort to tricks to beat _me_ so I guess we're even."

Izuku finally understood what he was seeing. _We're even_. He didn't just mean even… he meant equal. The strange look in Kacchan's eyes was _respect_.

Izuku's bottom lip trembled, and his eyes watered. "K-Kacchan…"

Kacchan blushed and reached out hesitantly, like he wasn't sure what to do. After a moment, he decided on ruffling Izuku's hair. "Jesus, Deku. It was hardly even a compliment. Don't cry about it or anything."

Izuku gulped and wiped at his eyes. "R-right. It's just- Kacchan, we studied a lot together in middle school. I know it made me do my best, and… it did for you too." Tellingly, Kacchan didn't deny it. "So, let's do that again now in high school. Let's get stronger together, so that the next time we face each other… neither of us have to hold back!"

Amazingly, Kacchan smiled at him- a real smile, not a smirk. "I look forward to it, Deku."

When they got back to home base, their classmates were waiting to congratulate them. Kirishima and Kaminari gushed over Kacchan's performance, while Tsuyu pulled Izuku aside.

"That was amazing. Ribbit. I wouldn't have lasted two minutes against Bakugo and you beat him, kind of."

Izuku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, thanks, Tsuyu. I still lost though."

"Even so," interjected Yaoyorozu. "Your logic was correct. Fighting with Bakugo in the same room as the bomb would have been inexcusably reckless. Any real hero would've made the same choice as you."

"Yeah," agreed Uraraka, who was looking sheepish. "Ah, sorry for getting mad, Deku. I was so pumped up about the challenge! But Yaoyorozu's right. It was reckless of me to keep fighting like that. If that had been real, and you hadn't stopped me, I would've gotten everyone killed."

"Oh! Thanks Yaoyorozu! Thanks Uraraka!" beamed Izuku.

"Plus," Kaminari called over from next to Kacchan. "You totally kicked Bakugo's ass! He didn't stand a chance against- ack!"

"Say that to my face you bastard!" roared Kacchan, who had a fistful of Kaminari's shirt.

"Midoriya's quirk is rather impressive," agreed Yaoyorozu, as if there weren't any commotion going on behind her.

"Students!" cried All Might, shocking Kacchan into dropping Kaminari. "Such comradery! It's truly commendable; however, it's time to analyze Team A and Team D's challenge."

The class proceeded to discuss their battle, although much of the conversation was focused on Kacchan and Izuku's individual spar. Pretty much everyone was impressed at their fighting prowess.

"And now," began All Might. "The time has come to award the title of match MVP! For the first battle, the MVP is… Midoriya Izuku!"

His mouth fell open. "Wha-What? But All Might, I lost!"

All Might grinned at him. "Perhaps, and trust me, I strongly considered Bakugo for his brilliant bluff with the bomb."

"It wasn't a bluff," growled Kacchan.

"But!" continued All Might. "In the end, I think you taught everyone here a valuable lesson, young Midoriya." All Might's expression sobered. "Listen carefully, students." They shifted uneasily, recognizing that the mood had changed. "You will find that there are times in a hero's career where the price of victory is higher than that of defeat. What if a villain was holding hostages, and you had to decide between letting the villain escape or saving the hostages' lives?"

All Might looked at them all gravely, meeting their eyes one by one. "A true hero understands that victory is meaningless if it comes at the expense of innocent people. Sometimes you must be willing to sacrifice your pride… you must be willing to _lose_ for the greater good. So, for that reason, although he was on the losing team, the prize of MVP is Midoriya's!"

"A-All Might…" Izuku was openly sobbing, so much that Uraraka and Tsuyu inched away from him to keep themselves dry. "I pr-promise. I won't f-forget this!"

"Excellent! Keep making me proud, my boy!"

Izuku sniffled, wiping at his eyes. "Yes, sir!"

After the next group made their way to the arena, Uraraka got a sly look on her face. "Aw, Deku. Come over here." She pulled him into a hug, and pushed his head down to her shoulder. Uraraka stroked his hair. They'd never hugged before. It was pretty nice. "There, there, Deku. You did great."

"Thanks, Uraraka," Izuku mumbled.

"Call me Ochaco!"

"I'll call you Dead Fucking Meat if you don't stop pawing at Deku."

Izuku was suddenly pulled from Ochaco's arms. Before he really understood what was happening, Kacchan had an arm wrapped around his shoulders and was scowling down at Ochaco. Rather than look upset, however, Uraraka grinned smugly like the canary that got the cream.

Kacchan realized that the whole thing was a ploy to make him jealous at about the same time that Izuku did, but Izuku wrapped an arm around his waist before he could pull away. Izuku made a mental note to remember how sneaky Ochaco could be. "Heh. Thanks for, uh, rescuing me Kacchan," Izuku teased.

Kacchan glowered mutinously, but his arm didn't leave Izuku's shoulders. "Whatever, _Deku_ ," he muttered.

As they settled in to watch the rest of the matches, Izuku couldn't help but smile to himself. Today he'd held Kacchan's hand, earned his respect in battle, made All Might proud of him, and impressed a bunch of new friends from class. He was one step closer to achieving his dream.

A/N: Hello everyone! So this is the fluffiest thing I've ever seen, and probably will be the fluffiest chapter of this fic. Things take something of a more serious turn next chapter, where PLOT™ starts happening.

There will be a short update in a day or two, very brief, just **Kacchan and Deku's first date**!


	4. Omake

There was a knock at the door. Izuku bolted up from his seat at the kitchen table and waved at Mom to sit back down.

"Ah, that's just Kacchan, Mom. We're going out." He froze and stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. "I-I-I don't mean going _out_. Just like, going out _side_ , as in, out there." Izuku pointed out their window. "But not like, out the window. That'd be silly. Of course, me and Kacchan could jump out the window and be just fine. We're training to be heroes and all. But that'd be against the rules about using quirks in public. Ha haaa. We're just gonna... walk down the stairs like completely normal friends do all the time, in a friendly way."

Mom's eyebrows had been steadily raising throughout his mumble storm. She cocked her head at him. "So," Mom said carefully. "You and-"

"Bye Mom gotta go!" Izuku flung the door open and slammed it shut behind him, panting like he'd just ran a marathon. In front of him, Kacchan stood with his head bowed, and a hand over his eyes.

"You, uh, heard that then?" cringed Izuku.

"Deku," sighed Kacchan. "You are the least smooth person I've ever met. Never let anyone trust you with a secret."

Luckily, before Izuku could sputter about any secrets he might be keeping (namely, the truth about his quirk), he was distracted by something in Kacchan's other hand.

"Hey what's that?"

Kacchan actually _blushed_. "It's nothing." He kicked idly at the ground. "Just something I found in my room. I was going to throw it out but I figured you might want it."

Blinking, Izuku accepted the gift and his jaw fell open. "K-Kacchan! This is your limited-edition Battle-of-Tokyo All Might trading card! It's the most valuable card in your collection!" Izuku had spent most of their childhood salivating over it, while Kacchan bragged about it to all their friends. "I can't take this. It's too much."

Kacchan scoffed. "Come on. You seriously think I care about that thing even a tenth as much as you?"

It was a good point. Kacchan buried his hero trading cards in a desk drawer years ago, while Izuku still proudly displayed all his memorabilia. "A-alright Kacchan." He beamed. "Thanks for this! I'll treasure it forever!"

"Whatever Deku it's just a stupid card." Despite his words, Kacchan looked pleased that his gift was being so well received. "Let's go. You mom's probably listening at the door."

"Go?" asked Izuku, scandalized. "I can't take this outside! What if it got bent in my pocket, or I dropped it in a puddle? What if I got a _finger print_ on it?" Izuku was horrified at the thought. "I'll put it in my room. Just a second!"

He burst back into the apartment and ran to his bedroom. (Mom stood suspiciously close to the entrance, as if she _had_ been eavesdropping and only had a moment to move out of the doorway.) Vaguely, he was aware of Mom inviting Kacchan inside. She'd been unsure of Kacchan at first, but after years passed and they remained friends, she'd warmed up to him.

Izuku frowned at his room. He'd have to decide on the perfect spot for the card later, but for now he placed it carefully on the center of his desk, apologetically shifting an All Might action figure to the side.

When Izuku returned to the kitchen, Kacchan looked kind of harried while Mom was asking him increasingly probing questions. "Thanks Mom, we'll be out of your hair now," said Izuku desperately. He grabbed Kacchan's hand to pull him outside, but realized that he'd made a mistake when Mom's eyes locked onto their clasped hands like a heat seeking missile. Izuku blushed red to the roots of his hair. Rather than open his mouth and embarrass himself further, Izuku pulled a very willing Kacchan from the apartment.

Once they got downstairs, Kacchan took the lead and Izuku blushed for an entirely different reason. Holding hands was still new, and it sent a thrill through Izuku every time. "Ah, Kacchan, where are we going?"

"Ice cream place down by the arcade."

That was one of Izuku's favorite places. He grinned. "Great idea, Kacchan!" He continued to chatter at Kacchan while they walked hand in hand to the ice cream shop. Once they arrived Kacchan told him to grab a table, and got in line to buy their treats. Izuku worried his lip while he waited. His favorite flavor was strawberry and Kacchan always teased him for it. Kacchan thought that chocolate was the far superior choice, and whenever it was his turn to buy ice cream he'd get them both chocolate, despite Izuku's protests. He'd resigned himself to a strawberry-less afternoon until Kacchan came back.

"You got me strawberry," beamed Izuku.

"Duh," scoffed Kacchan. "It's your favorite. I don't know why though. Chocolate is way better."

While they debated about the merits of chocolate and strawberry, Kacchan sat down next to him. He was holding his cone in his left hand, and Izuku had his own in his right. That left them free to fit their empty hands together. Izuku's pulse quickened, and it sped up even more when Kacchan knocked their knees together under the table. After a couple of times making contact, eventually the two of them just sort of, uh, left them pressed up against each other. Izuku had never been so conscious of his freaking _knee_ before, but with Kacchan's touching it, he felt tingly all down his leg.

The two of them chattered about class and about their upcoming rescue trials. Well, Izuku chattered and Kacchan nodded and grunted in the appropriate spots.

"And I wonder what hero will be in charge of it," mused Izuku. "Or iffffff..."

Izuku's brain short circuited when Kacchan casually reached over with a napkin and wiped at the corner of Izuku's mouth. Kacchan grinned cockily. "Sorry, you had a spot."

It took Izuku's breath away. Kacchan was so… _beautiful_ , was the only word for it. Especially when he smiled so confidently like that. Izuku had always known that Kacchan was beautiful. Even before he understood what it meant, Izuku liked looking his friend. But back then he had to be careful not to stare too much, or allow his face to reflect his thoughts. Now, though, Izuku thought that maybe it would be okay.

Recalling how effortlessly Kacchan reached over and touched his face made Izuku want to be brave, too. Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned over and pressed his lips gently against Kacchan's cheek.

"Um. Thanks for today, Kacchan. I've had a lot of fun."

Kacchan's mouth opened slightly in shock, and a slight pink tinge dusted his cheeks. "You- uh. Thanks, er, I mean you're welcome."

Izuku perked up, unable to contain his joy. "I made Kacchan speechless?" he asked gleefully.

The blonde's expression turned mulish, though the blush remained fixed to his face. "Let's see how well you handle it then, Deku."

Before he could properly process that statement, Kacchan leaned over and pecked _Izuku's_ cheek. All the blood in his body rushed to his face. "Uh wha- but you, really? I didn't..."

Kacchan grinned smugly. "See?"

He ducked his head and beamed dopily down at the table. Izuku couldn't help but squeeze Kacchan's hand. This was easily the second-best day of his life, right after the one where All Might told him that he could be a hero.

"Hey Deku?"

He glanced up at Kacchan shyly.

"I still think that strawberry ice cream is shit though."

It wasn't even that funny, but Izuku couldn't contain his laughter. He felt like a pot that was boiling over, except instead of water he was filled with happiness. In that moment, Izuku felt like he could do anything. It was the best first maybe-date ever.

A/N: Don't listen to Izuku. There's no 'maybe' about it; that was definitely a date. Hopefully getting shot by this fluff-canon will adequately prepare you for the upcoming angst.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N: I absolutely adore every single one of your comments, no matter how small. You all are so fantastic and it's wonderful to hear your thoughts about my story. That being said, I have a special shout out for Heisei_fangirl, who had the good fortune of being the 100th comment thread on this fic! You may be interested in checking out her comment on Chapter 3 to see the prize she won.

Also, happy birthday, Izuku!

"All right everyone! Get in two orderly lines according to your student number so that we can load the bus in a neat and organized fashion!"

"Heh, Iida's really taking his class president duties seriously," Izuku chuckled sheepishly as they loaded onto the bus, only to find out it had an open layout that ruined all of Iida's careful planning.

"I'm still pissed off at you for that. I voted for you, not that clown," Kacchan grumped.

Izuku blinked at Kacchan, surprised. "You voted for me, Kacchan?"

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "Duh. How do you think you got to four votes?"

"But… didn't you want the position for yourself?"

"Nah," refuted Kacchan. "That's way too much work. Why the hell would I want to deal with all those extras' stupid problems?

"And that's why _you_ got zero votes, Bakugo," Kirishima drawled.

"What did you say? I'll kick your ass!" snarled Kacchan.

"You know," drawled Kaminari. "We really haven't been classmates that long, so it's kind of telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage."

"Hey!"

Everyone, Izuku included, was surprised to hear that protest coming not from Kacchan, but from himself. "Um," he blushed at his classmates' amused looks. "Kacchan's personality isn't like, uh, what you said at all."

Kirishima rolled his eyes. "Well you're hardly an unbiased opinion, Midoriya. How the hell the Bakugo ended up with the nicest kid in class is going to be a mystery for the ages."

"Yeah, Izuku's super sweet, and Bakugo's definitely not," croaked Tsuyu.

"You wanna fucking say that again, Frog Girl?" Kacchan sneered.

"Call me Tsuyu," she corrected absently. "And nope. I was pretty clear the first time, no need to keep stating the obvious. Well, actually speaking of things that are really obvious, does anyone else think that Izuku's quirk is a lot like All Might's?"

Izuku paled. "What? Me? All Might? No way! I mean, I guess we do both have Augment type quirks, but that's basically where the similarity ends. I've never really thought about it before. Why would I think about it? I don't look like I think about All Might all the time, do I?"

"Psht, Midoriya and All Might? No way!" Kaminari interrupted, thankfully cutting off Izuku's frantic mumbling. "He's nowhere near as strong as All Might."

"He totally is though!" protested Ochaco loyally. "You didn't see him at full power like I did during the entrance exams. Remember those zero-point bots? He jumped through the air all the way up to its head and punched it so hard the whole head exploded!" Ochaco made a whooshing noise and spread her hands apart, as if to demonstrate just how exploded the head had been.

His classmates turned back to him, impressed. "No way, Midoriya!" Kaminari said.

"Yeah, if you're that strong how come you didn't go full power in the quirk assessment test or the battle trial?" asked Ashido.

"Oh! I, uh, kind of shattered both my legs and my arm doing that," Izuku admitted sheepishly. "My body can't really handle using that much power yet. Maybe someday though!"

"That's so cool!" gushed Kirishima. "Uh, not the hurting yourself part, but that you've got such a flashy quirk. My hardening ability is really strong, but it wouldn't impress the crowds as much." He held up his arm and turned it to stone in demonstration.

"No way!" protested Izuku. "That's so amazing! You'll be a great hero like that. Plus, I bet you can do more with your quirk than just harden your skin. It's a transformation type quirk so it's not necessarily limited to just one simple trick. When you get more control of it, I bet you'll find that you can harden yourself even further than you imagined. You're pretty strong." Izuku could see it: Kirishima transforming into a huge rock monster and wrecking villains. "You'll be totally awesome!" cheered Izuku.

Kirishima looked somewhat taken aback before he grinned. "Thanks, Midoriya! That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Oh I'm sure other people have said way nicer things," Izuku chuckled awkwardly.

"Nah. Maybe that's why you and Bakugo get along so well, opposites attract and all that."

Everyone looked over at Kacchan, waiting for him to explode, but instead he just glowered at them. In fact, he seemed distracted by something for the rest of the ride. When they finally arrived and got off the bus, Kacchan pulled Izuku to the side.

"You're hiding something," he said bluntly.

Izuku's eyes widened. "Uh, Kacchan?"

"What was that bullshit about earlier? You didn't notice that your quirk is like All Might's? You never even thought about it?" Kacchan scowled and crossed his arms. "Maybe those extras bought it, but I know that there's no fucking way you didn't draw up some weird bar chart about the which pro heroes have quirks most similar to yours, or something dumb like that. And that's not even considering that you're the biggest All Might fanboy in existence."

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Izuku had been so focused on denying any relation to All Might that he hadn't stopped and considered that Kacchan would obviously find that weird. The Izuku he knew would be beyond thrilled to hear of any comparison to the number one hero. "I… That'd be pretty arrogant," tried Izuku. "I wouldn't want people thinking that I was saying my quirk's as cool as All Might's."

Kacchan frowned down at him. Izuku wasn't good at lying in the best of times, let alone under stress and to someone who knew his tells as well as Kacchan did.

"Midoriya! Bakugo!" called Mr. Aizawa. "Stop dawdling and get over here."

"S-sorry, sir!" called Izuku. He took the opportunity to jog back over to the class, but he knew that he was just delaying the inevitable. Kacchan was letting the subject drop now only because he knew that he could pin Izuku down eventually. All of his worries were forgotten though the instant that he laid eyes on the hero that would be instructing them.

"The chivalrous space hero Thirteen! He's rescued countless people from disasters around the world!" gushed Izuku. He seriously thought he might cry just out of sheer excitement. All the students gaped at the massive confines of the USJ as Thirteen led them inside. Izuku's spirits were dampened though when he overheard Mr. Aizawa asking Thirteen about All Might. They were subtle about it, but Izuku saw Thirteen hold up three fingers when explaining that All Might had other engagements. He must mean that All Might had already used up his three hours for today. Izuku knew that his mentor was incredibly capable, but he couldn't help but worry that All Might was pushing himself past his limits.

Thirteen distracted him by explaining that many of their powers could be deadly if they weren't careful. Izuku looked down at his hands. All Might had given him an incredible ability. With it, he could do so much good for society… but it was also dangerous. Izuku would have to always be sure to only use his strength for good! It was like what All Might had said after the battle trials: a true hero never acted at the expense of innocents. Izuku would show everyone that he could be a great rescue hero as well as a combat hero!

"Right," Mr. Aizawa said after Thirteen finished speaking. "Now that that's over-"

He was interrupted by a commotion down in the center of the USJ.

"Stay together and don't move!" commanded Mr. Aizawa. "Thirteen, stay here and protect the students."

There was a strange black mist, and a bunch of people were slowly appearing out of it. Izuku had never seen a warp quirk in real life before. He wondered if it was location-based or had some other homing mechanism. Judging by the fact that it appeared exactly in the center of the USJ, Izuku guessed that its user teleported to specific locations rather than to people or objects. Izuku was so distracted by his analysis that he almost didn't hear the urgency in Mr. Aizawa's voice when the man told them that this was real, and those were actual villains.

The mist condensed into a vaguely humanoid shape, which spoke. "Eraserhead and Thirteen… According to the schedule we procured yesterday, All Might was supposed to be here as well."

"We went through all that trouble," said a man whose body was covered in what looked like severed hands. "You can't tell me that All Might… the symbol of peace… isn't here."

This was bad. This was really bad. These villains were behind the break-in at the school yesterday. And… if Izuku was hearing them right, they came specifically to try to fight All Might. It was a pretty good plan, he thought distractedly. The villains had brought tons of people to a secluded location where no one would be worried about hearing a commotion. But… if they came prepared to fight All Might, then would the rest of them stand any chance?

"I wonder if he'll show up if we kill the kids?" mused the hand-man.

Izuku's breath hitched. These guys meant serious business. They weren't here just to fight or cause trouble… they wanted to kill people! Izuku listened to Yaoyorozu and Todoroki talk about the lack of alarms. Todoroki was right. There must be a villain blocking the emergency signals.

Mr. Aizawa ordered them to try to escape before jumping down to fight the horde, ignoring Izuku's protests that large scale battles weren't his style. He shouldn't have underestimated Mr. Aizawa though, because from the look of it he was holding his own just fine. Izuku wasn't able to observe for too long because Kacchan grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the doors. "This is no time to be analyzing quirks, Deku," he said tightly. "We have to go."

Before they could get too far, the black mist villain warped in front of them. "Hello," the villain said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello." He paused, and a smirk-like rift opened below his eyes. "And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the symbol of peace, to draw his last breath?"

Izuku's mind was working in overtime. This guy was serious business, but all quirks had a weakness, and Izuku had a knack for finding them. Teleportation and mist… that wasn't a good match up for Izuku, whose quirk enhanced his physical strength. Maybe he could blow the villain away like All Might did to the slime guy? But he wasn't strong enough to do that. Izuku recalled that the mist man was wearing some sort of suit and armor down in the center of the arena. Maybe he wasn't entirely incorporeal?

Suddenly, Kacchan and Kirishima ran forward. "Wait!" Izuku cried. Those two would be hopeless against an intangible teleporter like that. Everyone was gaping at the villain when the dust from the boys' attack cleared, but Izuku's eyes were drawn to the strange armor around the man's neck. Before he could warn anyone about it though, the mist villain expanded outwards and surrounded them.

Izuku, who had been preparing to use his quirk the whole time, reacted quickly. He was near the back with Tsuyu, so he grabbed her and flickered out the of way. He noticed that Iida had managed to do the same with Ochaco and Sato. Once the mist cleared, Izuku saw that Shoji somehow managed to keep Ashido and Sero from being warped away as well.

"Everyone's still here," confirmed Shoji, who'd transformed his arms into ears so that he could sense their classmates.

"Good," said Thirteen grimly. "Class President. You have a speed quirk, right? Go quickly and escape. Get help!"

"But to run away would be dishonorable," protested Iida.

While Thirteen was convincing Iida that retreat was the better option, Izuku focused on his strategy. He kept his eyes peeled during Thirteen's confrontation with the villain. If that armor really did cover a weak spot, then it wouldn't appear very often. Right as Thirteen started sucking the mist into a black hole, Izuku saw it and ran forward. He gritted his teeth as Thirteen's own power was used against him and caused him to be severely injured. There was no time. Izuku had to strike with all his strength while the enemy was distracted!

The villain noticed Izuku just a moment too late. His fist made contact with the armor, and his punch was even more effective than he'd imagined. Izuku was used to hitting things with substance, like trees or posts, or even people. The villain, however, was mostly incorporeal, and barely weighed anything. Plus, he'd used as much of One for All's power as he could handle. The villain's armor shattered, and he went flying, eventually bouncing down the stairs and landing amongst the other intruders. He didn't get up.

Izuku gaped down at the scene. He'd… he'd really done major damage to that villain. He might even have… Izuku didn't have to worry, because in that moment he noticed what else was going on down in the center of the arena. The weird monster whose brain was exposed had Mr. Aizawa crushed against the ground, and he looked seriously hurt. Plus the hand-guy was staring up at them.

"Iida," Izuku whispered. "Quick, while they're distracted you have to go get help."

Iida looked visibly conflicted, but to Izuku's relief, he grimaced and ran out of the USJ. Izuku wasn't sure how much longer they'd be alone. The hand villain was already making his way up the stairs, shaking with rage.

"All of you, get out! I'll keep the villains distracted," Izuku pleaded.

Ochaco shook her head. "We're not just going to leave you here, Deku!"

"Besides," said Ashido. "Thirteen is too injured to move."

That wasn't entirely true. Izuku knew that Thirteen didn't just create black holes, he _was_ a black hole. His space suit was there to help him contain his power and keep from hurting people. With the back of it blown off, it was probably taking all of Thirteen's focus not to suck them all in. Nevertheless, he wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"Children, don't argue," the strange man said patronizingly, now close enough to overhear their conversation. "It doesn't matter anyways. Noumu, block the doors."

Faster than Izuku could perceive, the monstrous villain whose brain was exposed—Noumu, apparently—appeared in front of the door. Izuku would've thought that it was another teleportation quirk, except he could feel the displaced air as Noumu ran past him. He gulped. Noumu probably was super strong as well, given his appearance. Plus, these guys had taken out Mr. Aizawa like he was nothing!

"Now then," the villain continued. "Which one of you took out Kurogiri?"

The students glanced at each other, but no one spoke up. Izuku's friends weren't willing to throw him to the dogs.

"Hm? No one's going to own up to it?" The man chuckled darkly. "Well, I came here to kill All Might, since we heard he's getting weaker and weaker."

Izuku's eyes widened. They knew about All Might's injury!?

"But… I _really_ hate people who hurt my friends, so I suppose I can settle for killing you kids while I wait for All Might to get here. If I can't figure out which one of you hit Kurogiri, I guess I'll just have to kill you all to be safe."

He couldn't put his classmates in danger. Izuku opened his mouth to speak.

"It was me."

He gaped over at Shoji. "You can't-"

"No it was me!" cried Ochaco. Even through her bravado, Izuku could tell that she was terrified.

No, no, no! To Izuku's horror, his classmates all claimed responsibility for Kurogiri's injuries, one after another. Finally, Ashido finished: "I guess you'll just have to fight us all." Her voice trembled, but her conviction didn't.

"You know what?" the villain chuckled. "I don't really care anymore. I'm _happy_ to kill every last one of you!"

Faster than they react, he set upon Shoji and grabbed onto one of the boy's six arms. It dissolved into ash before their eyes. Izuku had started running as soon as the villain did, and so he quickly spanned the distance between them and grabbed Shoji, who writhed in agony. He pivoted and threw the other boy back out of the villain's reach. The man took advantage of Izuku's distraction to reach out towards him. Izuku threw up an arm to defend himself, and the villain grabbed onto his fist. Luckily he was wearing his metal gauntlets because they bought him just enough time to rip himself out of the man's grasp. He spared a moment to glance down at his newly exposed fingers… fingers! That was it.

"Everyone!" Izuku called. He had a feeling about how the villain's quirk worked. "He needs to touch you with all five fingers to use his powers. Don't let him!" A glance behind him showed Izuku that his words were meaningless. His classmates were staring at Shoji in horror. Izuku gulped. He remembered how terrified and panicked he'd felt when he had been face-to-face with his first villain. There was no telling if his classmates would be able to overcome their fear in time. He'd have to protect them!

"You're a clever one aren't you? And that speed… that strength. You're the one who hurt Kurogiri."

"Yeah," Izuku confirmed grimly. "Let my friends go. Th-they didn't do anything to you! This fight is between you and me." He wished he could say that he shouted it confidently, but in truth he was absolutely terrified. This guy was a bad matchup for a close-range fighter like Izuku. He… wanted nothing more than to run and hide. Izuku didn't blame his friends for being paralyzed with fear. He was barely overcoming his own panic.

"Hm… no, I don't think so." The man cocked his head. "But how about this? Since you were brave enough to step up, I'll let you know the name of the villain that's going to kill you. I'm Shigaraki Tomura."

Damn it. Even if he could get his classmates to help, everyone here had quirks that worked at short to mid-range, except Sero, and Izuku doubted that Sero's tape would be effective against Shigaraki's disintegration. Out of all them, he had the best chances against the villain, since he was fast enough to avoid Shigaraki's counterattacks. Izuku clenched his fists. Okay. This would be just like fighting Kacchan in the battle trial. All he had to do was avoid his enemy's hands.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name, boy?"

Izuku's pulse jumped. Shigaraki… he was the real deal, the kind of villain that Izuku had only ever heard about in stories. Still, he had to stay strong, for everyone! Izuku remembered All Might saying that he hid his pain and fear behind a smile, so he tried to grin. It felt kind of tremulous but hopefully the giant smile on his mask made up for it. "My name… is Midoriya Izuku. And I'm going to beat you!"

He didn't give Shigaraki a chance to respond—or give any of his classmates the chance to interfere and get hurt again. Izuku ran forward, battle cry on his lips, and cocked his fist back. To his surprise, Shigaraki was nearly as fast as him, even though he was enhanced by One for All. The man was so close that Izuku could see his bloodthirsty expression behind the hand that covered his face. Shigaraki probably thought that he was an idiot, charging in recklessly like that. Instead, Izuku suddenly threw himself into a slide, aiming at the villain's ankles. Going low would keep him out of the man's arm span, hopefully.

It was a good plan, but Shigaraki had better reflexes than Izuku had expected, and was able to dodge his sliding kick. He dug his gloved hand into the ground and pivoted around it, immediately jumping to his feet with his front to the villain, backpedaling to avoid Shigaraki's swipe towards him.

"Right, right. I forgot that you were a clever one," mused Shigaraki. "Good. That just makes this so much more amusing."

The villain snapped a hand out towards Izuku, who was forced to jump to the side. Even though he'd tried to comfort himself earlier by comparing this fight to his battle with Kacchan, they were nothing alike. Izuku didn't have walls and ceilings to bounce off in order to launch attacks from every angle. Retreat wasn't an option, since doing so would leave his classmates exposed. And most importantly, he couldn't afford to block. He had one more gauntlet that would buy him a second or two, but after that he was toast. Plus, he had to dodge by a safe margin, to prevent Shigaraki from touching him. Even a glancing blow could be debilitating.

Therefore, Izuku was constantly backpaddling, occasionally dodging to the side or jumping over Shigaraki when he got the chance. He tried to counterpunch but Shigaraki was no pushover. The villain didn't just have a strong quirk; his athletic skills and combat training were top notch as well. Izuku had to throw up his gloved hand early in the exchange, so he didn't even have a safety net anymore. The only thing that kept him in the fight at all was his speed. That and the fact that even though Shigaraki still seemed confident, he must realize that Izuku's blows could be dangerous. The man was careful to never let him land a hit.

But wait- Izuku could see it! He'd just dodged to his left and Shigaraki reached towards him, leaving his other arm down by his side. Izuku could plant his foot, grab the man's outstretched hand, and pull him off balance. Grinning, Izuku planted his foot and- slipped.

His throat clenched. He'd taken a huge gamble with that move, since it put him close to Shigaraki. Now that he'd lost his footing, there was no way Izuku would be able to dodge the man's counterattack. The villain came to the same conclusion, considering the gleeful look on his face.

Izuku's mind raced. He gathered as much energy to his hands as possible. Could it counter Shigaraki's quirk? He didn't have time or space to cock back his fist for a Smash, so Izuku couldn't even use his last resort attacks. Desperately, Izuku crossed his arms in front of him, and prepared for the worst.

Instead, he felt something odd wrap around him and jerk him away from Shigaraki's grasp. It was Tsuyu! She'd used her tongue to grab him and throw him out of the way! His relief quickly melted into horror as his instincts blared at him. Tsuyu had turned her head in order to throw him. Her back was to Shigaraki, who was cunning, and vindictive, and _fast_. Just as Izuku suspected, the villain didn't hesitate for an instant, launching himself towards the girl who'd robbed him of his prey, both hands extended towards her.

Tsuyu wouldn't react fast enough. Izuku knew it. He _knew_ it. There was no way that he could reach her in time either. He was still in the air! Still, he'd been prepared to use a smash, so Izuku cocked his fist back. Maybe he could create a shockwave like All Might did and blow Shigaraki back. Tsuyu would be in the line of fire, but she'd be better off than if Shigaraki got her. Nevertheless, Izuku would hold back some. He reinforced his body as best he could to prevent the backlash that was sure to follow.

"SMASH!" Izuku screamed, thrusting his hand forward. He could feel the strain on his body, and heard a single 'crack' from his arm. Izuku was immediately blown back by the shockwave, and when he hit the ground he tumbled backwards until he collided with the wall. Izuku immediately raised his head and looked towards where Tsuyu and Shigaraki had been. There was a massive cloud of dust obscuring his line of sight. Izuku waited with baited breath for it to clear. Eventually, it settled and he could see… _Noumu_?

Noumu was standing where Shigaraki had been, and he looked completely unscathed by Izuku's shockwave. No, wait, Noumu was _in front_ of where Tsuyu last stood. But… that would mean… Suddenly, it clicked, and Izuku felt as if an icy fist reached inside him and twisted at his guts. Noumu blocked the attack. That meant there hadn't been anything keeping Shigaraki from-

"Smash?" Shigaraki's voice asked from behind Noumu. The villain poked his head out from behind the monster, and then pushed Noumu away. Izuku couldn't see Tsuyu anywhere. "You definitely said 'smash'… and that power, it's just like All Might's." Shigaraki peered at him curiously. "You even look like him a bit, with that weird smile thing and those rabbit ears." The villain cocked his head. "Are you his illegitimate kid or something?"

Izuku mind was completely blank. He couldn't even muster his thoughts long enough to deny the ludicrous accusation. All he cared about was- "Wh-where's Tsuyu? What did you do with her!" His voice cracked and he could feel himself shaking.

"Tsuyu? That frog girl, you mean?" Shigaraki sounded completely nonchalant. "I turned her into dust."

Izuku stared at him blankly. "What?" That was impossible. He couldn't have. "Y-you're lying."

Shigaraki frowned. "Oh, you couldn't see since Noumu was in the way. Just ask your little friends; they had a better view." The villain waved a hand to his left.

He turned wide-eyed towards the crowd of Yuuei students. Their pale, shocked faces told him everything he needed to know. "No," Izuku whispered. Tsuyu couldn't be dead. She was… Izuku remembered her comforting Mineta after the boy had been expelled. He remembered her laughing and joking with him, and teasing Kacchan. Tsuyu was… she was so _kind_ and _good_. The good guys didn't die. That wasn't how it worked!

"Don't be so naïve," Shigaraki said, interrupting his thoughts. He must've been mumbling. "Why are you acting so surprised? I told you I was going to kill you and all your friends. It wasn't like I made a secret of it."

How- he- Shigaraki had just _killed_ someone, and he was acting like it was _nothing_ , like Tsuyu's life hadn't been worth _anything_. Izuku had thought that Noumu was horrifying, but Shigaraki was the real monster. He felt nauseous. He wanted to hurl and scream, and cry… but more than anything, Izuku wanted to wipe that smug _fucking_ look off Shigaraki's face. Izuku suddenly realized that he was angry, more so than he'd ever been in his life, so much that he was shaking with it. Tears prickled at his eyes, but for once they didn't spill.

"I… I'll kill you," Izuku hissed furiously.

Shigaraki just laughed. "How amusing! Wow, I didn't realize how much _fun_ you'd be. I change my mind. If this is how you react every time one of your little friends is killed, then I'll save you for last. You can watch them all die first." He glanced at his huge companion. "Huh. Noumu, you should only need… hm, ten percent of your power for this." Shigaraki glanced at the Yuuei students. "Kill them."

No! Izuku's body crackled with power as it moved, almost before he could think. He crossed his arms in front of him and focused all his energy on defense, like he had when Kacchan slammed him into the wall during the battle trial. Izuku knew that Noumu's blow would be even stronger than that, so he channeled more, more, _more_. He needed to be stronger. Noumu's fist smacked against his arms, and the broken one throbbed in agony. But it worked. He was in one piece, and his friends were safe behind him.

"I won't let you!" screamed Izuku. He pulled back his good arm and focused his energy. There couldn't be any holding back. Even if it blew his arm off, he'd have to destroy Noumu in one hit! "Detroit… SMASH!" Izuku threw his hand forward, impacting Noumu's stomach and… nothing happened. He gaped at his fist. Not only had Noumu not so much as twitched, but Izuku's arm was completely fine. It didn't make any sense.

"Well, whether you're really All Might's son or just some cheap knockoff, it won't work on Noumu," Shigaraki called over conversationally. "He was designed to be All Might's perfect counter. He's an amalgamation of different quirks, including Force-"

"Absorption," finished Izuku despairingly. One for All's energy usually ripped up his body. The force of it exploded out of him towards his targets. Somehow, by absorbing the attack, Noumu had also prevented Izuku's arm from shattering. Shigaraki was right. It was the perfect foil for a quirk that relied on overwhelming force.

"That quick wit of yours keeps surprising me, kid." Shigaraki chuckled. "Hey, I was pretty pissed at you earlier, but are you sure you don't want to join the League of Villains? You're not half bad."

He saw red. "I'd rather die!"

"Well," shrugged Shigaraki. "That can be arranged. Noumu, twenty percent."

Before he could react, Izuku was sent flying until he slammed into USJ's wall. He gasped for breath, body trembling. Izuku hadn't had time to brace himself much, and if he'd been even a hair slower that blow probably would've killed him. He didn't know if it was just shock or the lord-knows how many broken bones, but Izuku could hardly even twitch.

" _Now_ kill them."

Izuku was helpless; he could only watch. He saw that Thirteen was desperately trying to do something, and some of his classmates looked like they were preparing themselves, but there was no way they'd be quick enough. Izuku could hardly keep up with Noumu and he was the fastest person in class, other than Iida.

The doors to USJ exploded inwards. Before the dust even settled, his classmates and Thirteen appeared next to him.

"Never fear, children, for I am here!"

It was All Might! Izuku was so relieved that tears spilled down his cheeks. His relief didn't last long though, as he remembered the reason why All Might hadn't been there in the first place. "All Might!" Izuku called. "The big one has super strength and some sort of force absorption quirk. He's designed to kill you! And the hand guy… he disintegrates whatever all five of his fingers touch. He k-"

Izuku's voice cracked before he could talk about Tsuyu. All Might seemed to get the message though, because his expression sobered. The man looked at all of them, as if cataloguing how few students were left.

"Sit tight for a moment, children." All Might disappeared, but only a couple of second passed before he showed up with all of their errant classmates over his broad shoulders- even Kacchan, who was squirming and cursing at their teacher.

"I had to leave Aizawa down there. He was too injured to be moved. You kids wait here with Thirteen while I take care of these punks."

Kacchan growled and leapt to his feet, but Izuku grabbed him, despite the agony it put his body in. "Please, Kacchan," Izuku sobbed. Now that he didn't have to hold himself together, he was seriously falling apart. Izuku was terrified and angry, but more than anything, grief-stricken. "Don't, Kacchan, please don't." He had visions of Kacchan getting smashed into the ground by Noumu, or… or disintegrated into nothing by Shigaraki.

"Jesus, Deku… what the hell did they do to you?" Through his tears, Izuku could see that Kacchan looked genuinely _scared_. His hands hovered over Izuku, afraid to make contact. Izuku probably looked like a mess, full of broken bones and covered in blood and dirt. Izuku had never seen Kacchan look afraid before. It freaked him out even more.

"I-I'm fine. I'm f-fine." Izuku did his best to pull himself together. He was the only one who knew that All Might was already pushing his limits. He had to stay strong, in case he was needed again. Izuku looked at his classmates. The dichotomy was stark. Those that had been with Izuku were either crying or looked like they wanted to. The students who hadn't been- who hadn't seen Tsuyu… they seemed excited, cheering for All Might, although most of them were catching on that everything wasn't okay.

"Like hell you're fine-"

Kacchan was cut off by a huge 'BOOM'. Izuku's head jerked back towards All Might's fight. "What happened?"

"All Might did a suplex like in pro wrestling!" cried Kirishima.

Indeed, when the dust cleared, Izuku saw that Noumu had been buried down to his waist in the concrete floor. It was a good plan, but ultimately it'd be useless. Noumu was too powerful for that to stop him for long.

"Impressive, All Might," admitted Shigaraki. "Even in this state, you're still a force to be reckoned with. But Noumu is as strong as _you_ are. Noumu! Attack!"

There was a tense moment where everyone stared at Noumu, but the creature didn't move at all, not even a twitch. It hit him:

"All Might! Noumu responds to verbal orders!" Izuku shouted. "He can't hear Shigaraki right now. Quick, if you take out Shigaraki then Noumu will be useless!"

"Is that so?" All Might said.

Shigaraki scratched at his neck nervously, so much that angry red welts appeared. "Damn it, damn it, damn it! This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Sensei promised me! He said All Might was weak."

"This is your last chance villain. Surrender or face my wrath." All Might sounded really angry.

"Your wrath? How typical of a government pawn to resort to violence. You heroes think you're so much better than us, but you never stop to consider that violence only begets more violence. Do you think that children just wake up one day and decide to become villains? No, it's the poor and downtrodden dregs of society like me who are left no other option! You heroes are just tools of oppression. After all, the entire hero system only works while there are 'villains' to beat down further!" Shigaraki panted, almost frothing. "But you all are just like us. The only thing that separates heroes from villains is a government permit. Once I kill you everyone will see it." Shigaraki suddenly turned to Izuku, who flinched backwards. "That boy attacked Kurogiri. My friend might be dead. What makes him so different from me?"

"Shut up!" commanded All Might before Izuku could reply. "Don't you dare compare yourself to that boy. What makes him different from you? Well _he_ didn't go to your school and attack you, for one! Any damage he may have done to your lackey was in defense of himself and his friends. You villains always have some self-pitying excuse, but cut the crap. You're not doing this for a noble reason. You hurt people because you like it, plain and simple."

Shigaraki tensed at having his deception uncovered so easily. "That's enough," continued All Might. "I don't want to hear another one of your poisonous words." Before Shigaraki could react, All Might appeared behind him and knocked him out with a chop to the neck.

Izuku was tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but nothing happened. It seemed like… this nightmare was finally over. He didn't even have to worry about All Might pushing himself too hard, because the other teachers from Yuuei arrived shortly thereafter.

"Cementoss, cover that one up." All Might pointed to where Noumu was buried. "Don't let him hear anything. Midnight, make sure this other guy doesn't wake up."

"All Might," called Yaoyorozu. "There's another one with a warp quirk. I don't know what happened to him but he's dangerous."

"Midoriya took him out," responded Sero shakily. "That was the Kurogiri guy they were talking about."

"I think his quirk is location based," Izuku added fuzzily. It sounded to him like his voice was coming from someone else a kilometer away. "He appeared right in the center of USJ, and I never saw any warp totems being used." Izuku swayed a bit, and would've collapsed to the side if Kacchan hadn't caught him. He probably had a concussion from the impact with the wall, Izuku mused. Plus an adrenaline crash, and the pain from all his other injuries, and…

"Midoriya!" someone cried. He didn't know who. He just tried to keep hold of Kacchan.

"Kacchan…" Izuku mumbled.

If there was a response, he didn't hear it before blackness covered his vision. For a blissful moment, there was nothing but silence as his consciousness fled. Mercifully, he knew no more.

A/N: … So, Tsuyu's really dead. I'm so sorry, but there are no 'it was offscreen' tricks. I just didn't want to write a gruesome murder scene. It really pains me to do it, but I swear that it was important. Stick with me.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N: So I'm amazed that no one caught (or at least that no one commented on) one of the most important changes in Chapter 4. You'll start seeing another random ripple turn into a big consequence next chapter.

Izuku woke slowly, feeling muzzy and exhausted. He was laying down. How had he gotten to his bed? "Hhh... Wha?" He didn't recognize his surroundings; it looked like some sort of clinic.

Something shifted beside him. Furrowing his brow, Izuku saw that it was Kacchan. It appeared as though the other boy had been seated next to the bed, resting his head on it. He was holding Izuku's hand. "Hey Deku," he said quietly.

"Where's… what happened?"

Kacchan looked tense. "You don't remember… USJ?"

Izuku shook his head. "No, I remember that. I mean, what happened after I passed out?"

"Good." Kacchan relaxed a bit. "They said you'd be fine, but you had a concussion, and memory loss is- well, it doesn't matter anyway. You're fine. You had a stupid amount of broken bones and—like I said—a concussion, but Recovery Girl fixed you up. You've only been out for an hour or so."

Izuku rubbed at his eyes blearily. "Is everyone else alright?"

Kacchan nodded. "The teachers had it pretty bad. Aizawa's still in surgery, but they think he's gonna be okay. The docs weren't worried about Thirteen at all. Other than Frog Girl-"

"Tsuyu," snapped Izuku. "She likes…" He swallowed. "She liked to be called Tsuyu."

Kacchan's gaze was downcast. "Yeah, I- Sorry."

He wanted to be mad at Kacchan still, but he was too exhausted to muster up that much emotion. Besides, Izuku could count the number of times that Kacchan had told him 'sorry' on one hand. The blonde must really be off-balance.

"I just mean… you were the only other person seriously injured. No one else needed more than basic first aid."

Logically, Izuku knew that he'd faced the toughest opponents, the ringleaders. Still it was galling to know that everyone else had escaped completely unscathed, while he managed to get someone killed.

"I'm sorry," Izuku whispered.

"For what?" Kacchan squeezed his hand.

"I don't know. I'm really tired," admitted Izuku.

"Recovery Lady's quirk works by taking the energy she needs from your body. She said you'd be exhausted. She only let me stay if I promised not to bother you."

"Huh." That was an interesting quirk. Blearily, Izuku wondered a little bit why One for All's energy couldn't compensate for that, but he was even too exhausted to think about quirks. Kacchan pursed his lips.

"You… you should rest. You look like you need it."

Izuku nodded slowly, not staying awake long enough to feel Kacchan card a hand through his hair.

He went in and out of consciousness after that. At one point, he heard Kacchan swearing, and what sounded like Kacchan's mom cursing right back. When Izuku woke up all the way and didn't see Kacchan around, he figured that the boy had been dragged home by his parents. Instead All Might sat in the chair next to him, in his smaller form. Apparently Izuku had recovered enough strength that the foggy film around his emotions lifted, because his grief suddenly stabbed him like a knife. Izuku's eyes welled with tears.

"I-I'm sorry, All Might. I'm so sorry. I failed you."

All Might looked pained. "No, young Midoriya, the blame rests entirely on my shoulders. Those villains were there for _me_. I wasted all my energy on matters that didn't need my attention. If I had been there like I was supposed to be, then none of this would have happened. Young Asui paid for my arrogance and irresponsibility."

"Tsuyu," corrected Izuku. "She… she liked to be called Tsuyu."

"Tsuyu, then," said All Might gently. He studied Izuku before speaking cautiously. "You know that what happened to her wasn't your fault-"

"Yes it was!" Izuku was struggling to hold back his tears. Crying wouldn't do anything to help. "Tsuyu… she shouldn't even have been in the line of fire. She put herself at risk to save me."

"Don't disrespect her like that, Midoriya," All Might said sternly.

His head jerked upwards, wide eyes meeting All Might's gaze. "What?"

"What if you'd been the one killed? Would you want your classmates beating themselves up for not acting faster?"

"That's different!" protested Izuku. "I was trying to-"

"You were trying to save your friends, just like Tsuyu was." All Might shook his head. "I heard about what happened. By that point you'd all seen what Shigaraki's quirk could do. Tsuyu wasn't naïve to the danger she was in. She _chose_ to put herself at risk to save your life. And you know what?" All Might finally broke eye contact, turning his head to the side to stare out the window. "I wasn't lucky enough to get to know Tsuyu that well, but even a blind man could see what a kind girl she was. I think that, given the opportunity, she would make the exact same choice a second time."

Izuku swallowed thickly and stared down at the bedsheets. He didn't know what to say, but All Might didn't seem to be waiting for a response. The man sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be scolding you. It's never easy to lose a friend like that."

Izuku nodded miserably.

"If it's any consolation, Aizawa and Thirteen are expected to make complete recoveries. For that matter, the villain with the warp quirk—Kurogiri—should be completely fine also."

He jerked his head up, meeting All Might's eyes. "Why would I care about- about that monster?" spat Izuku. He knew it must be odd to hear such a tone coming from him, but the anger he'd felt at USJ after Tsuyu's death was rearing its ugly head again.

His mentor seemed taken aback at his ferocity. "I'd assumed that it would comfort you to know that you hadn't caused anyone—even an enemy—permanent harm," All Might said cautiously.

"Well it doesn't," muttered Izuku angrily. "I-I wish…" He swallowed around the sudden thickness in his throat. "I wish I had killed him, and Shigaraki too."

"You cannot mean that," All Might protested, stunned.

Channeling his inner-Kacchan, Izuku set his jaw mulishly. He wasn't entirely sure that he meant it either, but he still said: "They deserve it. They're evil." Those people had broken into a school so that they could murder people. They were beyond redemption.

"It's not a hero's job to determine who deserves to live and who deserves to die," said All Might slowly. "Our purpose is to save lives without prejudice. Sometimes, we are forced to use our powers to kill, but only when there is no other option. Killing out of anger or hatred… that is the path that leads to villainy."

"So you think I'm a villain, now?" Izuku muttered childishly. He knew he was being ridiculous and immature, but he was just so… _angry_. He wasn't even mad at All Might, not that much. It was everything. Shigaraki killed Tsuyu, and laughed like it was nothing, and it wasn't fair. Nothing made sense anymore. The good guys had won, but the cost was too high. Like All Might said, victory at the expense of innocent lives was no victory at all.

"No!" blurted All Might. "That's not what I'm trying- that's not what I mean." The man sighed and covered his eyes with a hand. "I'm not doing this right. I'm sorry, my boy. You deserve a better teacher than me. Nana was so much better than this."

Izuku furrowed his brow. Nana?

Seeing his confusion, All Might chuckled weakly. "Shimura Nana was the seventh wielder of One for All, and my mentor." He hesitated. "More than that, though, she was like a mother to me. In fact… perhaps it's time I tell you _that_ story."

"What story?" he muttered, still feeling a little churlish.

"The story of the man who gave me this injury." All Might patted his left side. Izuku's eyes widened. His mentor had his full attention now. "You see, young Midoriya, I am not angry or disappointed in you. I'm… I'm _scared_ because I've been in the exact same place that you are now, and I know just how very difficult it is to climb out of that hole." All Might bowed his head. "And I fear that my guidance is insufficient. You are such an intelligent, talented pupil; it made me forget that you're still only a boy."

"You're not a bad teacher," protested Izuku weakly, loyal even in his anger. "And… I'm not a little kid."

All Might smiled mirthlessly. "When you're as old as me, you'll realize just how young you are now."

"That doesn't make any sense."

This time All Might's smile was a little lighter. "Well, I did tell you that I'm no good at this. But that's not the point." The man sobered. "Hm. How to begin… I suppose… Shimura Nana taught me that a hero should always smile. No matter how grim the situation, we should always smile, she said, 'because people's hearts need to be saved, too, not just their lives'." All Might grinned fondly in reminiscence. "I thought that was a bunch of crap," he chuckled. "Peoples' hearts? What does that even mean? But she was my hero, my idol. She was so strong, and kind, and wise in a way that I could never possibly live up to. She saw potential in me: a scrappy, delinquent, quirkless orphaned street rat-"

"Quirkless?" blurted Izuku, wide eyed.

All Might chuckled. "Oh yes. There's a reason I chose you as my successor, my boy. You're everything I was, except ten times better." Despite everything, Izuku couldn't help but glow with pride, just a little bit. "But anyway. Yes, when Nana found me, I was nothing but stubbornness and grit. My greatest desire was to be as amazing as her, and so I listened. If Nana wanted me to smile, then I'd smile. But it didn't mean anything; I was just mimicking her. I didn't really understand, not until the day she was murdered by the man who gave me this scar."

Izuku stared at All Might, unable to muster up a word.

"Do you remember what I told you about how our quirk came to be?" asked All Might.

"You- you said that there was a man who had the power to take and give quirks, and that he was evil. You said that he gave his brother a quirk, and that his brother defeated him."

All Might nodded. "That's true, but it's not the whole story. You see, this man was called All for One, and although his brother defeated him, he did not kill him. All for One despised his brother's successors, and made it his mission to destroy us. Every single wielder of One for All has died at his hands, except for me. Five years ago I managed to kill him, but at great cost."

"Your injury," said Izuku softly.

"Yes," confirmed All Might. "However, many years before that, I was there when my mentor battled All for One. Nana had already passed her quirk on to me, and so the villain tried to kill us both when we were weak. To this day, I suspect that even with her power diminished, she would have beaten him if she didn't have to worry about protecting me. She gave her life to save mine, wounding All for One so badly that he was forced to retreat, and she bought me enough time to train and grow into our ability."

All Might ducked his head and gently tipped Izuku's chin upwards so that he was forced to meet the man's eyes. "His injuries were so grave that any other man would've died. However, despite that, All for One looked me straight in the eyes, and he laughed. He murdered the person I loved most in the whole world, and laughed in my face."

Izuku flinched, unintentionally pulling himself from All Might's grasp. He wished that he couldn't imagine what his mentor was talking about, but after Shigaraki, Izuku no longer had that luxury.

"I know how you're feeling now, young Midoriya, because I felt it then. I _hated_ him, more than I ever thought possible to hate anything. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to make him hurt as badly as he'd hurt me. But then, All for One said something that I'll never forget." All Might chuckled mirthlessly. "He was trying to destroy me. It's the height of irony that he saved me instead. You see, he told me 'I thought killing Shimura would be the highlight of my day, but seeing her boy stare at me with my own eyes tops it'."

All Might grimaced. "That was the day I saw the face of true evil, and understood it. For you see, young Midoriya, evil has many forms and facets, but _true_ evil—creatures like Shigaraki and All for One—they are all the same. They may claim that they want money or fame or power, or any multitude of things, but in the end their only goal is destruction. They feel such pain and hatred and _rage_ , and the only thing that gives them any joy is bringing everyone else down to their level.

"All for One saw himself in me, and I realized that Nana had been right. If I had let him, All for One wouldn't have just killed my mentor that day, he would've killed me too, at least in all the ways that mattered. It wasn't just my life in danger, my heart was in danger as well. He almost destroyed me by putting me on the path to become exactly like him. So instead, I swore to take Nana's advice. I swore to always smile even when – no, _especially_ when I felt like crying."

All Might paused. "In one matter, Shigaraki was correct. Violence begets more violence. Killing Shigaraki and people like him will not defeat them. It will only cause more pain, and there will be countless others waiting to take their place. _Light_ is the only thing that can defeat darkness. That's why All for One despised Nana so much, and why Shigaraki despises me. We are symbols of hope. They want the world to think that human beings are ugly and evil, but we make them believe instead that humankind can be good and just. Shigaraki said that heroes and villains are one and the same, but he was wrong. If you truly want to get revenge on him, then _prove_ that he was wrong. Young Midoriya, he came to USJ today to kill me, but it would bring him even greater joy to see you consumed by the same hatred and anger that fuels him. If you want to defeat him, then you must become a beacon of light. You must make other people feel hope. But to do so," All Might tapped Izuku's chest. "You have to feel it yourself."

Izuku opened his mouth, but then closed it and bit his lip. "It's… it's not that easy," he said hoarsely. "I'm so… I'm so _mad_ and _sad_. How do I make it go away?"

All Might gazed at him sadly. "I didn't say it would be easy, my boy. It might be the hardest thing you ever do. I know it was for me. And there's no one path for everyone to follow, but the first step is to decide not to be consumed by your negative emotions."

"I can't just decide not to feel bad anymore," protested Izuku.

"No," acknowledged All Might. "But you can choose to _try_ , and oftentimes that amounts to the same thing."

Izuku swallowed, and for a long while the two of them sat together in silence. He didn't know how to respond, or even if he was capable of doing what All Might wanted, so he decided to ask about something else that was bothering him. "All Might… you said that heroes are a symbol, and that their, uh, goodness is the only thing that can really defeat evil."

"Yes," All Might agreed, waiting for him to continue.

"That's what Kurogiri called you… the Symbol of Peace. Everyone calls you that. On the news they talk about how the crime rate in the whole country has plummeted since you first showed up. Villains are less willing to commit crime, and people are less willing to become villains in the first place. But… Shigaraki said that he heard you were getting weak. And- and you said that Nana could've defeated All for One 'even with her power diminished'. Are you- I mean…" Izuku couldn't even say it. The words seemed blasphemous.

"Yes, my boy, it's not just my injury. I'm getting weaker by the day. When I passed One for All onto you, it left only a flicker of its light in me. Once I use up all the power that remains, then it will be gone for good," confirmed All Might grimly.

Izuku trembled. "If Shigaraki was willing to attack Yuuei just because of the rumor that you were weaker, then that means… When your strength is really gone, all those people who were too afraid to commit crimes before- they won't hesitate anymore. People like- people like Shigaraki will show up more and more. And they'll spread hatred and despair… and cause more people to be like them."

"No one can say for sure… but yes, it's possible."

Izuku digested that for a moment, before declaring: "I won't- I won't let them. I don't know if I can let go of my anger and smile all the time like you do. I'll try!" he added quickly. "But I'm not strong like you and Nana. I'm just… I'm just Deku." Izuku clenched his fists. "Even so… I want to become stronger. I don't ever want one of my friends to die because I wasn't fast enough, not again. You gave me this power, and I want to be the kind of hero that makes you proud!"

All Might put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "That's a terrible burden to put on yourself," he said cautiously.

"But it's a burden you gave me." Izuku raised his eyes, determined. "And I didn't know what it meant at the time, not really, but I accepted it. I'd still accept it now." He raised a glowing fist. "This power… it gives me the chance to protect everyone. I wouldn't trade it for anything. When I got into Yuuei… I relaxed, kind of. I stopped working as hard as I was before, but I won't make that mistake anymore. All Might, I'm going to work harder than ever, because I can't afford to just be a kid anymore."

All Might hesitated. "All right, my boy, then I will help you every step of the way." He paused and tapped Izuku's chest. "Just remember that strengthening your body doesn't do you any good if you forget to take care of your heart, too."

Izuku swallowed, but nodded. "I'll- I'll try my best."

Izuku knew that his Mom was worried about him. She cooked his favorite meals for dinner and breakfast the next morning, and acted extra chipper to make up for his silence. She'd picked him up from Yuuei shortly after his talk with All Might, worried sick about her son fighting real villains. It was kind of a mess all around. The teachers held a press conference where they all bowed and publicly apologized for their errors, swearing to enact new security measures, etcetera.

Even though Izuku tried to put on a brave face for his Mom, he knew that she wasn't fooled, especially since he immediately started working out, against medical advice. She had to force him to go to bed once he fell asleep mid pushup. Therefore, on Saturday—the day after the fiasco at USJ—he bid Mom goodbye and jogged a few times around the block before grabbing his training bag and heading to a forested area on the edge of town.

Izuku warmed up with some calisthenics, but quickly got down to business. He and All Might had practiced his martial arts a little during his months of training. Unfortunately, he didn't have his mentor there with a punching bag and pads to practice on, but he'd make do. Izuku gritted his teeth. He needed to start getting tougher anyway.

He bounced on his toes in front of a tree that was an appropriate height, tapping his knuckles against it. Izuku alternated kicks and punches, ignoring the sting in his limbs. At first, he motivated himself by imagining the tree was Shigaraki, but he felt guilty when he remembered All Might's words. He shouldn't be fueling himself with revenge, even if he was still angry. Instead he tried to find alternate ways to pump himself up.

"I've got to be better," muttered Izuku. "I've got to be stronger!" Instead of picturing his enemies in front of him, Izuku imagined that he was punching himself. He was punching weak, useless Deku whose mistakes cost other people their lives. He was kicking out his own weakness. He was-

"Deku!" a voice called, jarring him from his thoughts. Izuku turned around to see Kacchan.

"Kacchan? What're you doing here?" asked Izuku, baffled.

"Your mom called me," Kacchan explained, looking a strange mix of cautious and pissed off. "And I still have that Phone Finder app from the last time you lost your cell phone."

Izuku scowled. "You can tell her I'm fine. There's no need for her to worry." He turned angrily back to the tree, punching it again.

"Deku, stop."

"I'm training Kacchan."

"That's bullshit."

Izuku huffed, but continued punching the tree. "My quirk is limited by my physical strength. I can't keep holding myself back."

"This isn't training, damn it. Stop!"

"No," Izuku gritted out, ignoring how he sounded like a petulant toddler.

"Deku, fucking... _Izuku_!"

Stunned, Izuku faltered, turning around to face Kacchan. He couldn't remember the last time that Kacchan had called him by his actual name. The blonde was shaking with rage, and stalked over to Izuku's bag, riffling around in it until he found what he was looking for. Then, he grabbed Izuku's wrist and raised it to eye-level.

"Did you even realize that you're bleeding, damnit?"

Izuku blinked nonplussed at his bloody knuckles. "I... sometimes you have to- no pain no gain, you know?"

"Stop fucking lying to me, Izuku. If you were really trying to train, you'd be using this." He waved something in Izuku's face, and Izuku went cross-eyed for a second before he realized what it was. Oh. It was training tape, the kind you wrapped around your fingers and hands so that this exact thing didn't happen.

"You're not doing this to get stronger," continued Kacchan. "If you were, you'd wrap your hands to avoid training injuries. You're just... trying to hurt yourself because you think that you deserve it," finished Kacchan flatly.

Izuku's breath hitched. He opened his mouth to deny it, but how could he? He'd just imagined beating himself up, beating the weakness out of himself. His eyes watered. "Kacchan... I..."

"Look, I get it," Kacchan sighed.

"No you don't!" protested Izuku hotly. "You- you didn't even care about Tsuyu. You didn't even know her name! How could you possibly-"

"It could've been _you_!" snarled Kacchan. He immediately slapped a palm to his face and turned his back to Izuku. "Fuck!" he yelled, kicking at the ground angrily. "Jesus, Izuku. How do you think I felt that day last year, when you threw yourself into danger trying to save me, huh?"

Izuku flushed. Oh, how could he forget? "That's different," he protested weakly.

"And then yesterday," continued Kacchan as if Izuku hadn't spoken at all. "You told me to wait, but I didn't fucking _listen_. I was too much of an arrogant fucking _brat_ , jumping ahead just because I wanted to, and got in the way of Thirteen's attack. I got warped off to be babysat by the scrubs while you were fighting for your life."

Kacchan fisted his hands in his hair. "You're sitting here beating yourself up, but you're the one who saved everyone. You beat the warp guy and let Private School get away. And that Hand freak, I was the perfect one to fight him. I could've kept my distance and blown him up, but instead I rushed ahead like an idiot and got warped away, and you're the one who paid the price."

Kacchan whirled around, grabbing Izuku by the shoulders. "You have no idea what it was like, finding you like... You're okay, I know you're okay, but- You looked fucking _dead_ , Izuku, and I've never heard you that scared, not even when you were fighting that slime guy. And then you passed out and I-" Kacchan's voice cracked. "The whole time you were in the hospital, I just thought: 'You got him killed. You were a stupid fucking arrogant idiot, who didn't think, who couldn't stop being convinced of his own superiority for one _goddamn_ second, and you got Deku killed'."

"Kacchan," Izuku said weakly. He felt the tears in his eyes spill over. He'd been repressing them even since he woke up yesterday, but it was finally too much. The thought that he'd worried Kacchan so much was terrible. Izuku had complained that Kacchan didn't understand what he was going through, but that didn't mean that he'd actually _wanted_ the boy to get it.

"Shit. I didn't come here to make you cry. I don't want to make you feel worse."

Kacchan kind of hovered awkwardly around him. Izuku shook his head. It wasn't that Kacchan made him feel worse, per se. He was already feeling as bad as he thought it was possible to feel. It was _everything_. Izuku grabbed Kacchan before the boy could turn away. He was probably getting blood on Kacchan's shirt, the way he had it fisted in his hands, but Kacchan didn't seem to mind.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry," hiccupped Izuku.

"It's not your fault."

"I kn-know. I'm st-still…" Izuku couldn't figure out how to put what he was feeling into words, so he just bowed his head, resting it on Kacchan's shoulder, and wrapped his arms around the boy. As if he were waiting for permission, Kacchan immediately pulled him closer, squeezing tightly.

Izuku cried harder. It was like he'd been building a dam around his tears since yesterday and Kacchan finally broke it. He kept sobbing harder and harder, but Kacchan didn't let go. He had his face and one hand against Izuku's hair, and the other arm wrapped securely around him. For the first time since stepping into the USJ, Izuku felt safe. It wasn't entirely a good feeling, since being safe meant that he couldn't hold up his walls anymore. Izuku thought that he'd fall apart into tiny little pieces if Kacchan weren't holding him together. It wasn't until he heard Kacchan sniffle that Izuku realized maybe Kacchan felt the same way, so he gripped the boy even harder.

He had no idea how long he cried against Kacchan's shoulder, but eventually—it might've been an hour or just five minutes—Izuku sobs began subsiding. Gradually, his tears slowed to a stop, though he still kept his face buried against Kacchan's body, not ready to face the world yet. He didn't exactly feel better, but he did seem less heavy. Eventually, he spoke. "I'm sorry," Izuku whispered against Kacchan's neck. "I was selfish. I was so absorbed in my own pain that I didn't care how worried you and Mom must be."

"S'Okay," said Kacchan, equally as softly.

Izuku pulled back, wanting to see Kacchan. The boy let him go without complaint, although he did frown. His eyes were red-rimmed but not nearly as bad as Izuku's must be. Izuku sniffled and wiped at his face with his sleeve. "Kacchan… I don't want you to feel all those things-those things you said before."

Kacchan's mouth twisted wryly. "Tough shit, Deku. You don't get to decide how I feel."

"I know that!" protested Izuku. "It's just… I don't like hearing you say that about yourself. You were just trying to do your best."

"My best wasn't enough. It was the wrong choice."

"Yeah," admitted Izuku. There was no way around it; Kacchan shouldn't have done what he did. "But it was a mistake. One mistake doesn't invalidate a lifetime of awesomeness."

Kacchan had a strange glint in his eyes. "It was one mistake that got someone killed."

"That wasn't your fault! It was-" Izuku almost said 'it was mine', but he knew that Kacchan wouldn't accept that. "It was Shigaraki's fault. He didn't have to do any of it, but he did, and we have to live with it."

Kacchan shook his head. "I could've been stronger, or faster, or smarter. I _should've_ been all that."

Izuku wasn't sure how to answer that at first. That was the question that he'd been struggling with this whole time, after all. But for Kacchan, he had to think of something. "You will be next time," he said eventually.

Kacchan smirked a little. "That's really good advice, Deku." Izuku's eyes widened, realizing the trap that Kacchan had led him into. "So you agree that it's not fair for _either_ of us to feel those things."

Izuku gaped. "That's… I'm different."

Kacchan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Izuku wanted to say that he was different because he had One for All. He was supposed to become the next Symbol of Peace. Except, even if Kacchan knew about all that, Izuku doubted it would change his mind at all. Kacchan wasn't any less hard on himself than Izuku was. They both dreamed of being the number one hero.

Izuku sighed. "I get it, okay. You don't want me to be sad. I know; I don't want you to be sad either. I just… I just don't know how to _stop_. Sometimes-" Izuku swallowed. "Sometimes… it feels like I can make myself feel so bad that it goes all the way around to feeling good again."

"Yeah," agreed Kacchan grimly.

"But it's not the same as feeling good! It's not the same at all. When I blame myself, though, when I say all those mean and nasty things to myself… it's sort of…" Izuku let out a frustrated huff. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's almost _satisfying_ , like by being terrible to myself at least I'm doing something. It's like this burning fire, right here." Izuku pressed a fist to his sternum. "And it's awful, but I still want it to burn. It's not _good_ , but at least it's warm. It's not happy… but it's easier, because I still don't know how to get back to happy, and I _do_ know how to make myself feel worse and worse."

Kacchan swallowed hard. "I know exactly what you mean."

"I'm sorry," said Izuku miserably. "I don't _want_ you to know what I mean. I don't want anyone to know what I mean." He took a deep breath. "It's just… can we, um, hug again? It didn't solve anything, but that was the closest I felt to good since before this whole mess."

"Me too," admitted Kacchan, before he drew Izuku close again. It wasn't as tight and desperate as last time, their arms wound loosely around each other. Kacchan's lips rested against the side of Izuku's head. It wasn't a kiss, but it wasn't _not_ a kiss either.

"Will you come home with me?" Izuku whispered after a minute. "I want to let Mom know I'm okay, but I don't want you to leave."

"Yeah, Deku. I'll stay with you as long as you need."

It… it wasn't better. Not really, but at least it was a start.

They had school on Monday, just like a normal week. Mom was still worried about him, Izuku knew, but he was a lot better than Saturday. He was still sad, but it wasn't the same crushing, all-encompassing sort of feeling. Kacchan had stayed with him all weekend (except to sleep, Mom put her foot down on that), so any time Izuku started getting too hard on himself, he buried his face against Kacchan and just breathed. He reminded himself about how upset he'd be if it were Kacchan thinking the same things, and that he didn't want to make Kacchan or Mom upset because of him. It wasn't a magic cure, but just like All Might said, deciding to do it put him on the right path. It was like slowly chipping away at a granite block, not easy by any means, but effective over time.

It was surreal to think that they'd be going to class again. However, with Kacchan holding his hand—or wrapping an arm around his shoulders if he really needed it (or maybe if Kacchan secretly needed it)—Izuku felt like he could at least face the world. That resolve lasted until he got into class 1A.

Luckily there were no longer reporters at the gate. Principal Nezu had been extremely crafty. Even while managing a sincere and heart-wrenching apology, he seeded just enough information for the public to realize that the attack on USJ had only happened because the League of Villains used the reporters rampage through Yuuei as a cover to steal information. It was a brilliant move. Not only did it get the press off of Yuuei's grounds, it also kept them from writing overly critical pieces about the school, lest they be labelled as the Villains' sympathizers.

Izuku and Kacchan got to class a little bit later than usual, so everyone else was already there. Izuku's breath caught as his classmates turned to stare at them. Finally, Iida broke the silence. He walked up to Izuku and bowed low, head below his waist.

"Please forgive me Midoriya!" It sounded like he was on the verge of crying. "You put your life in danger to allow me to escape and I failed you all! If I hadn't hesitated I could've reached All Might sooner. If I had run faster, then All Might would have arrived earlier. It's all my fault."

"No!" protested Izuku, pulling Iida back upwards. Before he could continue, Sero interjected.

"It's my fault Tsuyu d-died!" The boy's breath hitched. "My quirk would've been perfect for that. I should've pulled her back to safety with my tape, but I was too afraid to do anything!" Sero stared at the ground, trembling. "I was completely useless!"

"All of us around Thirteen were useless," cried Ochaco. "Deku and T-Tsuyu were the only ones who weren't total _failures_!" To his horror, Izuku heard the anger and self-recrimination in her voice that he recognized from his own worst moments.

Izuku watched mutely in dismay as his classmates spoke over each other to try and blame themselves. For some reason Todoroki seemed to be the hardest on himself. It wasn't what he said, exactly, but the look in his eyes when he said it.

"I'm ashamed to pretend that I'm hero material," Todoroki said simply. "I allowed myself to be distracted and neglected my duty." His recrimination was one of the simplest, but it worried Izuku the most. It seemed that the fiasco at USJ had made his classmates suspect the worst about themselves. Todoroki, however, acted like it had merely _confirmed_ his worst thoughts.

"Hey, hey!" shouted a voice from the doorway. Izuku turned and saw Mr. Aizawa wrapped head to toe in bandages. Relief warred with worry. On one hand, it was terrible to see his teacher injured badly, but also it was great to see that he was well enough to return to class so soon. "That's enough. I don't want to hear any of you speaking like that again." The man took a deep breath before heading to the lectern. "Take your seats, everyone. I need to talk to you."

As the students found their desks, the silence and misery was so thick that Izuku felt it was almost a tangible presence. Mr. Aizawa collected himself for a moment before beginning. "To start, I want to say that Thirteen and I are expected to make complete recoveries. I know that you all were worried about Midoriya, too, but as you can see he's just fine."

Izuku flushed and stared down at his desk. Of course everyone would be worried about him, with the way he fainted, especially if he looked as bad as Kacchan had said. He felt guilty for not even thinking about them, but he took a breath and didn't let the guilt get too bad. That'd make Kacchan sad.

"That being said," Mr. Aizawa bowed his head as much as his bandages allowed him. "All teachers here at Yuuei have a duty to ensure the safety of our students. As your homeroom teacher, that goes double for me. More than just your safety, my mission is to see every one of you grow and thrive."

Izuku felt paralyzed in his seat. Oh no. This was just… this was just another self-recrimination. Everyone- every single one of them were blaming themselves for what happened to Tsuyu. Everybody in this room felt that same dark, oppressive despair that had haunted Izuku all weekend. And not just them: the first thing All Might said when Izuku woke up was that it was all his fault for wasting his energy.

Suddenly, Izuku understood exactly what All Might meant by saving people's hearts. All of them were in that bad place, feeling the fires licking at their feet but not knowing how—or maybe not thinking that they _deserved_ —to get back to being okay again. It was just… sadness and anger and self-hatred. It wasn't right. Izuku had no idea how to make it better, but he knew that he couldn't handle hearing his own terrible words coming out of someone else's mouth again. He didn't know if he could fix it but he had to do _something_.

There was a loud screech as Izuku's chair scraped backwards. "Mr. Aizawa!" exclaimed Izuku. Their teacher stopped speaking and stared at him. In fact, everyone was staring at him. Izuku was normally a really quiet, obedient student. He'd never been accused of being a problem child. For him to so disrespectfully interrupt his teacher in such a serious moment had likely been the last thing anyone expected.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I also have something I need to say, please."

Mr. Aizawa peered at him probingly from behind his bandages. Izuku tried to convey with just his eyes how serious he was.

"Please," Izuku added. "It's important."

He stared at Mr. Aizawa, refusing to be cowed. After a long moment, the teacher nodded and stepped aside. Izuku swallowed made his way to the front of the class. He looked down at the floor, before clenching his fists. He couldn't afford to be scared. Determined, Izuku raised his chin and stared defiantly at his classmates.

"Everyone… thank you, but… I know you feel like you were useless, like you weren't enough. I know you feel like you weren't fast enough." Izuku met Iida's gaze for an instant before the other boy looked away. "Or that you weren't strong enough." Sato and Shoji stared down at their desks. "Or smart enough." Kacchan, however, held his gaze until Izuku moved on. "I get it, because I feel all those things too!" A tear escaped him before he could hold it back.

"No way!" burst Ashido. "You were the only one of us who actually _did_ anything."

"Yeah," agreed Sero.

"If only I was faster. If only I was stronger. If only I weren't such a useless Deku. If only I were _better_ in every single way, then Tsuyu would still be here," continued Izuku unhindered. "That's what I've been saying to myself this whole weekend." Izuku swallowed heavily. "But then I realized… some people _helped_ me realize… that's not what being a hero is about."

Izuku clenched his fists. "What Shigaraki said—about heroes and villains—that was wrong! Heroes are more than just sponsored violence. We're more than just fighters, more than just our quirks... A hero is a beacon of hope! A real hero makes people feel like everything's going to be okay, just because they're present." No one was looking away from him now. "So I'm going to get stronger. I'm going to work harder and harder, and then work even more after that, because I don't want anyone else to have to feel like this! I'm going to become the kind of hero that makes villains think twice before hurting others, the kind of hero that makes people feel hope. And," Izuku forced a wobbly smile onto his face. "I'm not going to let myself be sad anymore, because Tsuyu wouldn't have wanted us all to sit here and cry."

Izuku looked down, wind gone from his sails. He felt awkward now that he'd run out of things to say. "I just- I thought I'd tell you all that in case anybody else wanted to be that kind of hero, too."

There was a loud bang and Izuku looked up, startled. Kirishima had stood up so fast that he'd knocked over his chair. His fist was clenched in front of him. "I couldn't call myself a man if I backed down from your challenge, Midoriya! I'm with you one hundred percent!"

Iida stood next. "Me too, Midoriya. I want to be a hero that brings people hope, like my brother!"

"And I as well," called Aoyama, who looked uncharacteristically serious. "My lasers will be a shining beacon to the world."

"Deku, I'll keep working until I can float mountains," promised Ochaco.

Todoroki stood as well. "No one will be harmed on my watch ever again." His eyes met Izuku's determinedly.

One after another, all his classmates stood until Kacchan was the only one left seated. "What the hell are all you extras staring at me for?" He scoffed but before anyone could get mad, he continued: "Tsuyu saved the only person in here who actually matters." Kacchan tilted his chin defiantly. "So of course I'm in. For Tsuyu."

"For Tsuyu," the class echoed.

"Well," interjected Mr. Aizawa after the moment had passed. "I had a whole speech planned, but I don't think it's necessary anymore." There were a few awkward chuckles. "Listen up, everyone. The hard work starts now." Izuku sheepishly made his way to his desk. "Oh, and Midoriya."

Izuku turned back to the front of the classroom. "You said you want to be the kind of hero that gives people hope," Mr. Aizawa said. "I can only speak for myself, of course, but I for one think that you're well on your way."

He kind of wanted to duck his head and stutter out a 'thank you', but he understood now that he had to be more than that. Everyone was looking at him, maybe even _relying_ on him. Instead, Izuku raised his chin and met Mr. Aizawa's gaze with as sincere a grin he could manage. He nodded once in acknowledgement, before taking his seat. It was time to start working. He wouldn't stop until he was strong enough to keep the world safe.

For Tsuyu.


	7. Chapter 6

"Oh, and Deku," Kacchan called.

Izuku paused before entering his apartment complex. They'd lingered for a few minutes, unwilling to part. However, Izuku had a lot of work and analysis that he was looking forward to getting done. He and Kacchan spent most of the weekend together, and Izuku hadn't really been in any state to brainstorm in the few times they were apart. His hero notebooks beckoned him, so eventually he was forced to say goodbye to his friend.

"Earlier, during your speech, you called yourself 'a useless Deku'."

Izuku flushed. "Uh-"

"You know I've punched people for saying stuff like that?" asked Kacchan conversationally.

He smiled a bit and scratched his head. "Um. Yeah. You gonna punch me, Kacchan?" Izuku teased.

"Hmph," grumped the blonde. "If I thought it'd actually stop you from thinking stupid things like that, I'd consider it."

"Don't you think it's a bit weird to call me stupid while telling me off for insulting myself?"

"Shut _up_ , Deku. Just- listen." Kacchan scowled and kicked idly at the ground. "I know I made up that name when I was mad at you. And so some dumb fuckers thought that 'Deku' must mean something bad, but…" Kacchan's scowl deepened. "It's in your name… it's part of you, so it could only be something good," he muttered.

Izuku's breath caught. "Kacchan…" His eyes suddenly felt wet.

"I can't _believe_ you made me say some sappy shit like that, Deku. You know how much I hate it."

Izuku was grinning too hard to respond. Instead, he inched back over to Kacchan and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. When he glanced up at Kacchan's face, his eyes caught on the boy's lips. Oh. Kacchan just said one of the nicest things he'd ever told Izuku outright, rather than a kind-of-insult that they both knew was meant as a compliment. They were holding hands. Now was the perfect time to uh, well, _kiss_. The thought of it seemed impossible though. A kiss on the cheek was one thing, but _lips_? Izuku's eyes flickered up to meet Kacchan's. He was staring at Izuku too.

An odd feeling jolted through Izuku like a spark, and his breath caught when he saw that Kacchan was leaning closer to him. Was he…? Were they really-

A man bumped into Kacchan, jarring him enough to break the spell. The moment passed, and Izuku blushed crimson down to his toes. "Uh thanksforwalkingwithmeKacchanseeyoutomorrowbye!" he spat out, before sprinting into his building, collapsing onto the wall next to the door.

He couldn't believe that he almost maybe kissed Kacchan. He couldn't believe he ran _away_ afterwards. Oh god. Hopefully Kacchan was inured to his awkward and hopeless self and wouldn't think anything of it. Really, why was Izuku acting so surprised? They'd held hands, and hugged, and gone a maybe-date and kissed each other's cheeks. They were practically boyf- No. Nope. Izuku couldn't even think it. There was a bang on the wall next to his ear.

"AH!" Izuku jumped and whirled around. Oh no. He'd forgotten that his complex had _floor to ceiling windows next to the doors_. Kacchan was on the other side, managing to look embarrassed for him but also painfully fond, simultaneously.

"Stop overthinking things and go home, Deku." Kacchan's voice was muffled, just barely audible through the glass. Without waiting for a response, the blonde turned on his heel and walked off. Izuku noticed a slight spring in his step.

Grinning ear to ear, Izuku did as he was told. Okay, so they hadn't done it this time… but maybe next time they would.

In front of him lay a notebook labeled "Hero notes for the present: Vol 1". Izuku had written in it all his observations about his fight at USJ, with particular focus paid to his battle with Noumu. He'd been too preoccupied with grief and panic to notice at the time, but there were a lot of strange things that happened during that fight. Izuku looked down at his untidy scrawl.

Odd Occurrences:

Using an underpowered Smash to create a shockwave from a distance didn't injure me nearly as badly as when fighting the zero-point robot.

I was able to reinforce my body so much that Noumu's 10% attack didn't hurt.

Noumu's force absorption stopped me from hurting myself, even at 100%.

There were tons of other observations in the book, but he kept going back to those three things over and over again. They were highlighted, underlined, and starred. Izuku wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt that if he could understand those three things, then he could tease out the secrets of One for All.

He was determined to improve beyond the limits of his body. The only thing holding him back was his physical strength, and so of course he was working hard to build muscle. Except, that was slow going, and quite frankly he may never have as huge a frame as All Might. Izuku just wasn't built the same way; he'd never be as tall as the man, for example. Additionally, developing his physique to the point where he could handle his power could take a decade. Izuku didn't have that kind of time. So instead, he went back to the drawing board. That's why he'd returned to his trusty notetaking habit to figure out how to proceed.

Izuku tapped his pen against the paper absentmindedly. After considering for a moment, he scrawled:

Observations:

When I blocked Noumu's attack, I used way more energy than I should be able to handle, but it didn't hurt.

It's never hurt to enhance my body.

Only smashes hurt.

Izuku drew a line between Observation 3 and Strange Occurrence 3. Then, next to the line, he wrote "What is a smash?" and circled it twice.

He must've seen dozens of videos of All Might using his special attacks, and a few times in real life as well. Everyone knew that his smashes were punches so powerful that they created shockwaves, but Izuku wasn't so sure anymore. He used more energy blocking Noumu than he had creating the smash to try to blow Shigaraki away, and yet the latter broke his arm whilst the former didn't hurt. It made no sense. If a smash was just extreme amplification of his body, why was it different from using One for All to defend himself rather than attack?

In fact, Izuku recalled the first smash he'd seen in real life, when All Might defeated the slime villain. His punch had been so powerful that it breached the stratosphere and changed local weather patterns! Was that even physically possible? Previously, Izuku had no doubt that his mentor was capable of enhancing himself so dramatically, but he was starting to become uncertain. He'd seen All Might's true form... was his emaciated body really capable of withstanding such intense power on the basis of physical strength alone?

After a little brainstorming Izuku realized that all of All Might's smashes had one thing in common: they all produced shockwaves. Additionally, it wasn't the punch that did most of the damage, but rather the shockwave itself. He scratched out a quick note:

Shockwave (SHäk, wāv): a sharp change of pressure in a narrow region traveling through a medium, especially air, caused by explosion or by a body moving faster than sound.

Izuku hummed thoughtfully. Could All Might be punching faster than the speed of sound? It was certainly possible, but shouldn't a real shockwave spread out in a circular pattern? That didn't describe a smash at all. They were directional and focused, like a burst of-

Oh. Duh. It was so obvious. It was a burst of energy. Maybe physical strength alone couldn't create a smash, but One for All wasn't about physical strength, not really. It was an energy source, and why wouldn't he be able to release a burst of energy from his fist? Izuku was confident that his hunch was correct; it felt right. But why should using One for All's energy for a smash hurt more than using it to reinforce his body?

He tried to recall what All Might had told him, back when they first started training together. The man said that Izuku couldn't handle One for All as he was, that it would blow his limbs off. Izuku himself remembered thinking at first that his quirk would make his arms explode. Indeed, when he used his full power against the zero-point robot, the energy felt like it ripped itself out of him, shattering his arm and legs in the process. He made a note on the paper in support of the energy-shockwave theory then. That seemed to fit into the paradigm. However, the idea of his body not being able to handle One for All in its passive state didn't make any sense. He'd accepted it at the time, but in hindsight it was silly. Where did all that energy go when Izuku wasn't using it? It had to be stored inside of him somehow. Therefore, it couldn't be harmful in its inert state.

"Eureka," Izuku muttered.

Enhancing his muscles took energy. Using a smash released energy. But fortifying his body? That was just reapportioning his power. It was kind of like having a bullet-proof vest. The energy wasn't really _doing_ anything; it just sat there. Theoretically there wasn't a functional limit to how much energy he could use to defend himself. Well, Izuku supposed that there would be a point where he couldn't 'grip' it in the right place, and having it snap back may rip him to shreds. Minor details. Okay, so maybe his capacity for defense wasn't limitless, but it was probably a lot higher than he'd previously assumed. Turning to a fresh page, Izuku wrote:

Short-term goals:

Figure out how to modify OfA for defense.

Satisfied, Izuku turned back to the previous pages, considering Observation 2: "It's never hurt to enhance my body." Hm. This was probably similar to the defense-concept. Izuku had never actually tried to use one hundred percent of his power to enhance his body; he'd only done so in the form of a smash. Therefore, he'd assumed that using One for All in other ways would be similarly harmful. Maybe _that_ idea had been wrong, too. Izuku doubted that it was as cut and dried as using his quirk for defensive purposes. After all, using his energy to enhance his strength wasn't exactly passive, and muscle fibers could tear. Still, maybe his threshold was higher than he'd thought.

Well, he already knew that reinforcing his body allowed him to eke out greater enhancements to his physical strength. Maybe solving one problem would solve both. Izuku decided to list it as 1a.

Short-term Goals:

Figure out how to modify OfA for defense.

Explore limit to strength. Increased by ↑ defense?

Satisfied with that, Izuku moved on to the toughest, but most important problem. Smashes were his greatest potential strength, but also the most unobtainable. A smash was essentially a pure expression of power, energy that he could channel through himself and expel out in the form of an overwhelming attack. It was his one-hundred percent, and there was no way to prepare his body for it other than the slow, grueling work of strengthening himself the old-fashioned way. Izuku wasn't opposed to that. In fact, he was practicing the air-chair exercise while writing these notes! However, he needed ways to become stronger _now_ not years in the future.

Hm. He glanced at Odd Occurrence 1 again. Clearly he'd been able to decrease the power of his smash and hurt himself less. It still wasn't functional in battle, though. Sure, he hadn't been debilitated, but he couldn't rely on a strength that broke his bones. For a smash to work, he had to let his energy out of his body, and until he was strong enough, the only way was to break his body apart. That was less than ideal, and Izuku refused to be satisfied by an inferior product.

Izuku turned his attention back to the most interesting, yet most baffling Odd Occurrence. Why hadn't his smash against Noumu torn him apart? He thought that he might have put all of the pieces together. Enhancing his body didn't harm him; building up energy didn't harm him. It was the _release_ that wrecked things. He'd been so close to Noumu… Had Izuku punched the monster before he'd let go of his smash? Had Noumu absorbed his energy before he could even release it from his body? That would explain why even his strongest smash hadn't harmed him. If that was true, then all he had to do was figure out a way to let the energy out of his body. Right now it was ripping through him however it could manage. Was it really just a matter of getting strong enough to withstand the backlash? Could he hack it somehow, by creating channels to direct the energy?

He was getting so worked up that his hands were getting sweaty. Distracted, he put the pen down and wiped his palms on his pants. Ugh. He hated sweaty… But- if _sweat_. Slowly, Izuku raised his hands in front of him and stared at them like they held the key to the universe's mysteries. "Oh my god. Sweat!" exclaimed Izuku. Of course! His body already had pathways from inside his body to outside. They were tiny, microscopic even. It would be extremely delicate work, threading all that energy through those tiny pores in a way that didn't rip him apart. Izuku laughed delightedly. How ironic. He might be able to manage a facsimile of his greatest attack, not through overwhelming force but rather through immaculate control.

Izuku studied his knuckles, brow furrowed in concentration. Did he even _have_ sweat glands on his knuckles? He doubted he'd ever be able to channel tons of energy through such tiny openings, so his concept would probably work better if he could use lots of pores simultaneously. It was kind of like Kacchan's- Oh. A manic grin worked its way onto his face. _Oh_. Oh man. Kacchan was going to be _furious_. Izuku had been so focused on using punches to perform his smashes because that's how All Might did it, but there was no reason to limit himself that way. After all, the highest concentration of sweat glands on a person's body was at the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet. Izuku giggled at the thought of how Kacchan's face would look when he saw Izuku basically copying his quirk.

He was getting ahead of himself though. Izuku wasn't sure it was even possible. Well… there was only one way to find out. Izuku googled a cartoon diagram of skin and sweat glands to help him visualize.

His hands trembled slightly before he forced himself to calm down. The familiar hum of his Full Cowl surrounded him, and his bedroom was bathed in its light. Slowly—ever so slowly—Izuku cautiously focused his energy to the palms of his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to imagine the power pooling just under the topmost layer of his skin. Once he got that under control, Izuku visualized the energy finding his sweat glands, leaking out- not bursting, or flowing, but gently floating like steam from a pot. It took a while, long enough that he began to fear it wouldn't work, but eventually Izuku felt a brush of air against his face. It was slight enough to be mistaken for a shifting breeze if he weren't indoors.

Izuku dropped his arms to his sides and stared at the wall in absolute astonishment. That… it had barely been anything, but it was _proof_. He could do it. He could _do it_. Delighted, Izuku leapt to his feet and danced around his room cheering. He was still a long ways away from making it into a full-fledged attack, but soon enough, it could be. Izuku returned to his desk and stopped in front of his desk. He picked up his pen with a trembling hand and added one more line to his notebook.

Short-term Goals:

Figure out how to modify OfA for defense.

Explore limit to strength. Increased by ↑ defense?

Master your smash.

On Tuesday afternoon, All Might was leading Class 1A's calisthenics course. It was basically glorified P.E. All Might essentially acted as their drill sergeant for two hours, and if they were lucky they'd tackle an obstacle course. Today, however, was an unlucky day where instead they just had to run until they dropped, do pushups until they dropped, situps until they dropped, etc. Izuku's speech the morning before seemed to have really motivated his classmates, though, because they were giving it their all. Even Aoyama and Jiro—who normally groaned about physical exercise and only did it grudgingly—were pushing themselves beyond their limits without complaint. All Might was practically glowing.

For Izuku, the workouts were nothing special. He'd had a lot harder before joining Yuuei, and then with All Might's personal attention. The man was definitely a demanding taskmaster, so it was a lot easier when his attention was split between nineteen- Izuku gritted his teeth. Eighteen students. Unfortunately, Izuku didn't _want_ an easy workout. He wanted to push himself, so he ran longer, and fought harder than his classmates. Before USJ, he'd been really impressed when someone beat him at an exercise, but now he took it as a challenge. That led to some intense competition with a few of the boys in class, but Izuku figured that it was a good thing.

Izuku felt good during cool-downs. He'd pushed himself as hard as he could go, and even though he wanted to do more, he knew that rest and down time were important. He'd get stronger by taking the occasional break than he would running himself into the ground.

"Midoriya, could I speak with you for a moment?" All Might asked.

Izuku blinked, but dutifully stood and followed his mentor to the edge of the training field, so that they could talk without being easily overheard. They were still in eyesight of the class though (it'd be horribly irresponsible for All Might to leave them unsupervised, after all). All Might placed his hands on Izuku's shoulders, beaming down at him proudly.

"My boy, word has made its way around the school about what you said in your homeroom class yesterday morning."

Blushing, Izuku looked at the ground. It was one thing to stand tall and accept Mr. Aizawa's praise, but this was _All Might_ who was the coolest hero ever. "I-I just realized that you were right. Everyone was being so hard on themselves, and I was afraid- uh. I wanted to save their hearts."

All Might lifted one hand and gently tipped Izuku's chin up so that he met the man's eyes. "What you did was no small feat, young man. You brought your class back from the brink of despair, and gave them hope again. You made them wanted to do better, to _be_ better. More than that, your actions have spread like wildfire. You've raised the spirits of the entire school. Everyone—students and teachers alike—see how determined you all are. How can we tremble in fear and sorrow when the children who faced the worst of it refuse to cower?" All Might's gaze was as fond as Izuku had ever seen it. "Your actions were those of a true hero."

"All Might," rasped Izuku hoarsely. He struggled to contain his tears. Hadn't he decided not to go around crying all the time like a little kid? He sniffled and wiped at his eyes. "I… I couldn't have done it without you. Any of it."

"You're wrong." All Might shook his head. "I helped you along the way, made it easier, perhaps. But you would've become a fantastic hero with or without my quirk. Of that I am certain."

Izuku wasn't entirely certain he was still breathing. Was this a dream?

"Anyway, I'm sorry for springing this on you. I should've waited but I was afraid it would be a while before we could get a moment alone." All Might looked like he wanted to say more, but was conscious of their unideal location. "We should return to the others."

Izuku took a few deep breaths and pulled himself together. Right. There'd be plenty of time to bask in the glory of his greatest hero saying those things once he was safely home. Hopefully no one saw all of that.

Except, when he turned around, he saw that everyone in class was blatantly staring at them. Oops. Most of them had enough shame to turn back to what they were doing once they realized they were caught, but some of them were unapologetic. Ochaco met his eyes with a thoughtful smile, and Sero stared at him wide-eyed.

"Eheh. I guess I really shouldn't have been singling one student out," All Might muttered to himself.

"It's okay," Izuku comforted under his breath. "They'll get over it I'm sure. By the way, I think I figured some stuff out about One- uh. You-know-what. You think you could help me out later?"

"Hm," All Might hummed. "You'll have to come up with an excuse for young Bakugo, but I have a private dojo in the suburbs."

Izuku stared at him. "A what?"

All Might appeared to be somewhat bashful. "Ah. Well, being the Number One hero, I _am_ er, filthy rich."

"Oh." Izuku wasn't sure why he didn't think of that before. Of course All Might was loaded. He got the most amount of money from the government, plus a large cut of the proceeds from his promotions and memorabilia. "Okay. How should I get there?"

"I'll give you an address," promised All Might. "Meet me there after school."

Some of his classmates whispered to each other as they approached, until Kacchan said something back. It must've been really cutting, considering how the offenders paled and fell silent. Izuku furrowed his brow. That scene seemed familiar; Izuku recalled how ruthlessly Kacchan used to suppress any rumors or gossip that spread about Izuku during elementary and middle school. It was odd to see here, though, since he was fairly certain that all of his classmates liked him. Izuku doubted that people like Sero, Ojiro, and Kaminari would make fun of him. Maybe they'd just annoyed Kacchan some other way. Regardless, all the whispers stopped when he got back to the group, though the glances didn't (nor did Kacchan's glowers). Izuku was worried for a moment that Kacchan was annoyed at _him_ , but the boy sidled up to him immediately and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, heedless of how gross and sweaty they were.

Kacchan was being… really defensive. That kind of concerned Izuku. "Were they making fun of me?" he whispered.

The blonde looked genuinely surprised. "The hell? Those extras practically worship you, Deku. Nah they were just being fucking idiots, 's all."

Frowning, Izuku decided to just let it drop. Maybe they'd been teasing _Kacchan_? It didn't really seem right but he didn't want to press the issue just in case.

Regardless, even though everyone was weird, they weren't cruel at all to him. Everyone patted him on the back or joked around with him, as usual… they just glanced at him a bit more than he was accustomed to. Izuku figured that it wasn't a joke at his expense, then. Whatever. They'd settle down eventually. Maybe they were in awe of him being singled out by All Might or something.

After the last bell rang, Izuku found himself chatting with Iida and Ochaco as he waited for Kacchan to finish asking Mr. Aizawa about one of their assignments. It wasn't until Kacchan joined them that he realized he still needed to tell the boy that they wouldn't be going home together.

"Uh, Kacchan… I'm not, uh, going to go straight home today," said Izuku nervously.

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "Where are we going then?"

Izuku cringed. "Um. It's just. Er. Me."

They stopped walking. Ochaco and Iida also came to a halt, looking horrifically awkward next to them. Kacchan stared at him for a moment before asking in a surprisingly level tone of voice: "And what is it that _you're_ doing."

A million lies flashed through his head. Izuku knew it'd be useless though; Kacchan would see through him in an instant. He was already looking a bit hurt. Izuku didn't want to imagine how bad Kacchan would feel if he blatantly lied about where he was going. "I… actually asked All Might to help me with something. I have a new technique that I want to test out," admitted Izuku. Ugh. No one should trust him with secrets.

He'd expected Kacchan to be upset, or maybe jealous, but he was surprised. Instead Kacchan's face immediately cleared and he nodded. "Okay, text me when you get home, then."

Startled, but not willing to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Izuku smiled. "O-okay Kacchan. I will!"

Strangely enough, when he turned to Ochaco and Iida, he found them staring at him. Ochaco's eyes narrowed.

"Say, Deku," mused Ochaco. "You and All Might are pretty close, huh?"

Somehow, Izuku managed to both tense up and freeze completely at the same time. "Haha wh-what? Why would you say that? I don't think so. Do you think so Iida?" Izuku didn't give Iida a chance to respond. "No way. Me and All Might are just like… student and teacher. Definitely no other relationship than that."

"It's only that he seems really fond of you, you know? More than a teacher would feel for a student. Did you two know each other before Yuuei?"

Izuku went completely bug eyed. "A-a-are you- are you s-suggesting that he's d-doing something _inappropriate_?!" He wasn't sure if he was more shocked or angry on All Might's behalf.

"What? No!" Ochaco seemed legitimately taken off guard. "I didn't think that _at all_. It's only- come on, Deku. You two aren't subtle. It's obvious that-"

"Shut the fuck up," hissed Kacchan. Izuku's jaw dropped. Kacchan was- Kacchan sounded _genuinely_ angry. This wasn't annoyance or the quick-to-light but quick-to-burn-out rages he was prone to. No, Kacchan was shaking, furious in a way that Izuku rarely saw anymore. Even Ochaco seemed to realize it, shrinking back slightly. "Did you for one goddamn second think that if Deku has a secret, it might be for a _good fucking reason_?"

By the end of his sentence, Kacchan's voice had loudened a bit, and he visibly reigned himself in. When he continued his tone was barely above a whisper. "You saw firsthand that All Might has enemies who are desperate to kill him no matter the cost. Can you imagine what they'd do to All Might's-" He cut himself off, pursing his lips.

What? Had they somehow realized that Izuku was All Might's successor? But that was ludicrous! There was no record of a quirk that could be passed from person to person. How could they possibly have imagined it? Even _Izuku_ wouldn't guess something so far-fetched. It didn't make any sense, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Ochaco looked horrified. "O-oh, of course. That was… that was really careless of me. Obviously if you've kept… _it_ a secret, you had a good reason."

Izuku just stared at them blankly. "Um. R-right. But, uh, I definitely don't have any secrets."

"Of course," Ochaco agreed, still looking apologetic. She ruined the illusion by winking and miming zipping her lips. "I promise that this will be the last time you ever hear any rumors about… uh, you know." Izuku actually didn't know, but he was getting accustomed to the fiery determination that occasionally appeared in his friend's eyes. Ochaco could be really intense when she wanted to be.

He made the mistake of glancing at Kacchan, which immediately caused him to deflate. The boy was still seething. Izuku winced. "Uh, Ochaco? Iida? Do you mind going on ahead? I'm going to, um, talk with Kacchan for a bit."

"Of course not, Midoriya!" Iida said enthusiastically. He lowered his voice to what may pass for a sotto voice from him, but was still fairly loud by everyone else's standards. "As you know, I hail from the prestigious Ingenium line of heroes myself. If you ever want to talk to someone who understands-"

Iida's voice was muffled by Ochaco's hand over his mouth. "Like I said. I'll make sure _no one_ hears any rumors," she promised sweetly before dragging the protesting boy off. Kacchan looked slightly less like he wanted to murder her.

"I was just trying to be helpful!" cried Iida.

Izuku chuckled uncomfortably as his friends rounded the corner. When he turned back to Kacchan, it took him a moment to gather up his courage. "Um. Kacchan… are you mad at me?"

"What?" asked Kacchan. "Don't be dumb. None of this is your fault," he said gruffly. Kacchan stepped into Izuku's personal space, close enough that their foreheads were almost touching. The past weekend had shifted their dynamic somewhat. Izuku had spent most of the time reaching out to his friend, constantly comforting himself with little touches and cuddles. It seemed to have popped their personal bubbles, at least for each other. "It's just that those damn extras are being idiots, not thinking about what the hell they're doing. They're going to get you into trouble."

Izuku knew that Kacchan liked being close to him, too, but the boy was really bad at being the first one to reach out. Therefore, Izuku took a chance and leaned in, resting his forehead down against Kacchan's shoulder. It didn't take long for Kacchan to wrap his arms around Izuku. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Kacchan sighed. "It's not your fault. I was pissed that you kept such a big secret from me, but I get it. You know you can trust me though, right?"

Izuku nodded, a motion that ended up being more like nudging his forehead against Kacchan, given their position. "I trust you more than anybody." Of course, he still had _no idea_ what he was supposed to be trusting Kacchan _with_. He wanted to ask but his secret was hanging dangerously in the balance. Izuku didn't think that he could continue denying his relationship to All Might if Kacchan spoke with him about it directly.

All Might had explained to him just how grave it would be for the world to learn of the truth of their ability. The most powerful quirk in existence, and it could be transferred between people? Everybody—hero and villain alike—would hound Izuku for the rest of his earthly existence. It would put everyone he cared about, including himself, in unspeakable danger. It was too important a secret to risk, so for now he'd play along with Kacchan and Ochaco and hope that it didn't blow up in his face.

"Hey! You two!"

Izuku jerked upright in shock. Midnight approached them, winking lasciviously. "As much as I appreciate your youthful spirit, maybe try taking your passionate love away from school grounds? It's time for students to go home."

"O-o-o-of course. Yes. R-right, Ms. Midnight, sir- UM. I mean, ma'am! Midnight ma'am!" Izuku gulped, certain that his face was redder than a tomato.

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Deku. Try not to let your head explode." Still, the blonde's cheeks were dusted with pink. "I'll walk you to your train."

After the two of them went their separate ways at the station (and after Izuku pecked Kacchan's cheek, making an old lady coo about 'young love'), Izuku stared pensively out the train window. Somehow, his classmates had gotten the impression that there was something more to his and All Might's interactions than just that of a student and teacher. He was wracked with worry that his secret was becoming common knowledge.

There was still a chance that he was wrong, and that his classmates _didn't_ know about Izuku being All Might's successor. But… if that was the case, then just what was it that they thought they knew? Izuku supposed he'd just have to find out. He only hoped that his real secret would be safe in the meantime.

A/N: So what do Izuku's classmates think is up with him and All Might? Go back and reread the USJ chapter, and I bet you'll find it.


	8. Chapter 7

Ch 7

A/N: I realized that people anglicize Katsuki's surname to "Bakugou," not "Bakugo" as I've been doing. I'll go back and fix that… um, eventually.

When Izuku arrived at the address that All Might sent to him, he couldn't help but boggle. It was actually a bit more modest than he'd expected. There weren't any frills, or signs anywhere proclaiming that it belonged to the number one hero. Still, for a kid who grew up in an apartment complex, it was incredible that someone owned a whole huge building and only used it to exercise without being gawked at.

Feeling a bit intimidated, Izuku approached the door and knocked tentatively. It opened and one of All Might's blue eyes peeked out. "Get in quickly. No one knows that this place belongs to me. I'd like to keep it that way."

Izuku slipped inside and gawked at his surroundings. Every gym he'd ever seen had been designed for multiple people to use simultaneously. However, this room obviously was not. There were only one of each kind of exercise machine, pushed to the sides of the room. Most of the space was dedicated to an open floor dojo, though a running track wound around the perimeter.

"This is..." Izuku goggled.

All Might chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "It's a lot, yeah. I can't really work out with other people, or else it just becomes a show. Especially now that I'm injured, I don't want to waste my strength putting on a performance for bystanders.

"Oh, right." Of course All Might couldn't exercise in company. How would he explain his smaller form and reduced strength?

"So, young Midoriya, what was it that you wanted to show me?"

Izuku perked up. "Well, I think I found out a new trick to One for All, but it's hard to test out by myself." He proceeded to explain his theory about using their quirk's energy in its inert state to bolster his defense. "But there's no good way to find out if it's working other than to throw myself in front of a car or something, and that'd be super irresponsible."

"Right you are, my boy," chuckled All Might. "Your brilliance never ceases to astound me. I never bothered with something like that, just enhanced my strength to the point of near invulnerability. That would've been handy when I was younger though."

"Thanks, All Might!" blushed Izuku.

"Okay! Let's get started!" Smoke drifted up from All Might's shoulders as he grew into his stronger form.

Izuku nodded, turning his attention inwards. After activating Full Cowl, he focused on threading the energy throughout his body. He imagined it wrapping around his bones and tendons, and pooling just underneath his skin like padding. When he was ready, Izuku gave his mentor a thumbs up.

All Might cautiously leaned down and punched his shoulder. Izuku barely felt it. Grinning, his mentor circled him, blows getting gradually stronger. It took a while, but inevitably Izuku found himself gritting his teeth at the force of them. Just before it genuinely started to hurt, All Might stopped and faced him.

"Incredible, my boy! It seems that you can withstand nearly a quarter of my power."

"R-really?" squeaked Izuku. He had confidence that his technique would work, but it was another thing to have it confirmed.

"Really. Now, let's see how well you can hold it up in a spar."

"A s-spar?" Izuku sputtered.

"Yes! Prepare yourself!" All Might only gave him a moment before beginning.

Izuku somehow managed to reel in his panic and jump away. It wasn't at all like a real fight. All Might hit pretty hard, but it lacked a certain... intensity that he'd come to associate with fighting, even fake ones like the battle trial against Kacchan. After his adrenaline had faded, it became kind of fun. He and All Might were grinning and teasing each other through their bout.

Izuku was no match for All Might, even given the man's self-imposed handicap. Izuku's ability to reinforce his defense far surpassed his capability to enhance his strength. He could withstand All Might's punches, but his own counterattacks must feel like butterfly kisses to the man. Nevertheless, their spar continued until Izuku lost his footing, and in his surprise also lost his grip on One for All. It happened right as All Might punched at him. Oh no. Without reinforcing himself, there was no way he'd withstand twenty-five percent of All Might's strength!

The man's fist halted millimeters from Izuku's chest. "You've got to practice making that trick instinctive, my boy, lest it fail at an inopportune time." All Might chuckled. "Let's call this an important lesson about why those of us with enhanced strength must always remain vigilant. We could cause harm to others even with our weakest blows."

"R-right, All Might."

"Hm," the man said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We might also want to think about teaching you some martial arts. Right now you're more of a brawler than anything. Regardless, that is an incredible skill you developed, young Midoriya! Focus your energy on perfecting it- but not at the cost of your physical training, of course."

Izuku nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Well, if that's all, you should probably get home and do your assignments for tomorrow."

Biting his lip, Izuku raised his hand like he would in class. All Might laughed.

"Young Midoriya, you don't have to do that when it's just the two of us."

"Heh, it's uh, habit. Sorry. Just- I had one more thing I wanted to show you, if you have time." Izuku peeked up at his mentor through his fringe.

"Go on then," said All Might, smiling indulgently.

"Okay!"

Izuku turned to the wall, setting his feet hips-width apart and bracing himself. This attack took all of his concentration, still. He took a deep breath. "Smash!" Izuku yelled, thrusting his arm forward, palm first.

Across the room, a punching bag swayed in the wind. Izuku grinned. The bag was at least twenty meters away!

"I know it doesn't look like much," admitted Izuku, "but when I figured it out yesterday I wouldn't've even been able to use it to blow-dry my hair!"

When he turned back to his mentor, he found All Might staring at him. "Um. Oh, was it… not good?" Izuku asked tentatively.

"Not…?" All Might chuckled and shook his head. "My boy, I've had this quirk for over a decade, and I never even _imagined_ that it could be used in such a way. A Smash is an expression of pure strength, when you use one hundred percent of your power and break through the barriers your body imposes on you. I never considered adapting it to a weaker form in order to get around any physical limitations. At some point I'm going to stop being amazed when you do the impossible."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's- it's nothing like your strength though. All these tricks… they're just to make up for how weak I am. They wouldn't do me any good if I could channel One for All's full power the way you can."

"You're wrong," refuted All Might. "Like you, I have always been limited by the capabilities of my body. I raised those limits by making myself stronger and stronger, but even now I have only realized a fraction of One for All's true potential. You see these techniques as crutches, but in truth they are _innovations_ that no other wielder of our quirk ever conceived of. Indeed- I have no doubt, young Midoriya, that you will surpass me one day."

Izuku felt his jaw tremble and tears spill out of the corners of his eyes. "I- That means… it means everything to me, All Might."

His mentor clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "Of course, we'll have to work on your tendency to cry every time to you get a compliment," he said gently.

"R-right." Izuku wiped at his face with his sleeve.

"Now then, I truly have kept you here too long. Is there anything else? Perhaps you've figured out how to fly or shoot laser beams from your eyes?"

Izuku hesitated. He considered telling All Might about how strangely his friends had been acting, and that he suspected his classmates might know more about their relationship they should. Too late, he saw All Might's eyes widening and remembered what the man had last asked. "N-no! It's nothing like that. I just, had something to talk about."

All Might looked relieved. "Well, what is it?"

"Um. Actually, it's nothing." Izuku didn't really know if his friends had figured anything out. He could be letting his own interpretation of the matter cloud his judgement. He didn't want to worry All Might over nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked All Might dubiously.

"Yeah," nodded Izuku. "I think it's something I want to work out on my own, if that's okay."

"Of course," his mentor said, before hesitating. "If… that is…" All Might cringed and seemed to gather himself. "I understand that you don't really have- that your, uh, father isn't in the picture. And you may have- er. _Questions_ , about… things. Especially now that you and young Bakugo are, uh, presumably, that is, doing-"

"NO! No, no, no!" shrieked Izuku, clapping his hands over his ears. "It's not about _that_ at all! Me and Kacchan aren't even- well, we are… but not that kind of- we haven't even kissed!" Izuku finally blurted. Oh god. Was there some way to delete this whole mortifying experience from his memory banks permanently?

"Oh thank god," All Might sighed gustily. He coughed. "Um. I mean, of course I am here for you if you ever needed it. I'd much rather you got your information from a trustworthy adult rather than some dodgy website-"

"I get it!" Izuku squeaked. "I'll definitely come to you if I ever, um, that." He had literally zero intention of fulfilling that promise.

All Might rubbed his forehead sheepishly. "Heh. Okay, okay. I'll have mercy on you." He paused. "Although I really must stress how important it is to, um, be safe, even though pregnancy isn't a concern. Remember to use a condom every time, no excuses."

"Oh my god. This can't be happening. Good _bye_ , All Might!" While Izuku still had a single scrap of dignity left, he turned tail and ran away like a coward. He felt no shame in his retreat. After all, it was only natural that Izuku would flee from the singularly most humiliating conversation of his entire life.

All Might laughed at his back. Hmph. Good riddance.

Ochaco kept her word, and Izuku didn't hear even a whisper of a rumor about him and All Might. His classmates still gave him the occasional odd look, but that died down after a little while. Time seemed to fly by; they were constantly working hard and pushing themselves to improve. Izuku was busy trying to increase his physical fitness and work on his new techniques, so the days seemed to pass especially quickly for him.

In no time at all, excited chatter began about Yuuei's annual sports festival. It was a huge event, so much so that other students in their year came to gawk at and try to intimidate them.

"Can you believe it?" Izuku huffed. "How incredibly rude! Who do they think they are, saying that we aren't anything special just because we've fought villains?"

At first, Izuku had been really ticked off at the blatant disrespect. They must've known that class 1A didn't come out of that confrontation unscathed. He couldn't make himself too angry though, because those other students kind of seemed liked children to him. They were just... trying to do well in school, and wanted to trash talk like they were on a playground. They hadn't seen real, true evil like Izuku and his classmates had. He knew that he shouldn't underestimate them, but Izuku had better things to do than waste his time worrying about kids like that. The only person whom Izuku hadn't been mad at was Mineta. Apparently after hearing about what happened at USJ, the purple boy had decided that heroics wasn't for him, and wasn't even competing in the sports festival at all. He tried to channel his frustration into his running.

"Forget about those scrubs," Kacchan wheezed. Even he couldn't manage to look cool and aloof during exercise. "They aren't even worth the dirt on your feet."

"Thanks, Kacchan!" Izuku said brightly. Normally he'd scold his friend for saying something so mean, but he was feeling kind of vindictive at the moment.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and the two of them were running laps around a local park. Izuku found that Kacchan made an excellent exercise partner. They were both competitive enough that neither of them were willing to slack off. Izuku ended up being pushed to his limits every time. (A tiny, tiny part of him could admit that he also enjoyed the way Kacchan looked covered in a sheen of sweat.) Unfortunately, they couldn't help each other practice with their quirks. Not only would it be illegal, but also highly irresponsible considering the destructive nature of their powers. Plus, they kind of had a tendency to get... uh, carried away.

Actually, things between him and Kacchan had gotten a little… _tense_ wasn't really the right word. They still held hands, and occasionally kissed each other's cheeks, and Izuku often caught Kacchan gazing at his lips, like maybe he wanted to kiss more than just Izuku's cheek. Perhaps it would have been fine like that, except the other day Mom asked him whether or not Kacchan was his boyfriend, and acted like she thought he was lying when he told her no. And Izuku understood- really, he did. But he couldn't just unilaterally decide that they were, um, more than friends. What if it got back to Kacchan that Izuku was saying that, and it caused a problem?

The thing was- Izuku was pretty sure that Kacchan wouldn't say no if he asked. But… what if he did? What if Izuku ruined everything because he'd rushed the blonde? He was way too much of a wimp. The worst thing would be if Izuku asking _that_ led to his and Kacchan's friendship suffering. Would their classmates be forced to choose sides? No. Better off keeping it to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by Kacchan sighing explosively. "What?" Kacchan asked gruffly.

"I, uh. I didn't say anything?"

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "You don't need to. It's obvious that you have something on your mind."

Izuku gulped. He really, truly _almost_ came out and just asked, but his doubts silenced him. "Uh. N-no. There's nothing."

Kacchan looked disappointed for a split second before his expression morphed into one of annoyance. "Really? There's absolutely nothing?"

"You seem kind of…" Izuku decided that he was better off not finishing that sentence. Telling an exploding boy that he seemed tense probably wasn't the best decision. "Um. Is this- were you wanting to talk about me and All-"

"No!" Now Kacchan really looked annoyed. "I told you not to talk about that shit, especially not in _public_ , Deku."

Izuku still had no idea whether Kacchan knew about him and All Might. The uncertainty was kind of killing him, but every time he tried to subtly wheedle information out of the blonde, Kacchan shut him down. "Well, if not that then what?"

"I don't know," gritted Kacchan. "You're the one who was thinking it. Do you have something to _confess_ to me?"

A confession? Kacchan was seriously looking for Izuku to confess his feelings? It would've been easier to just nip this argument in the bud and ask the question that had been on his mind for weeks. Except, nothing got Izuku's back up like Kacchan being a hypocrite. Why did _Izuku_ have to be the one to confess? Kacchan told him all the time how utterly transparent he was. The blonde _must_ know how Izuku felt, so why didn't he just man up and ask, himself!

"It kind of sounds like _you're_ the one that has a question for _me_ , Kacchan," said Izuku mulishly.

This was a total train wreck. Izuku could see from the look in Kacchan's eyes that he'd just made it into a competition. Kacchan wasn't good at emotions in the best of times; asking for Izuku to ask in the first place was probably his idea of an olive branch. Izuku knew it, and Kacchan probably knew that Izuku knew it. So, in a weird way, Kacchan likely interpreted Izuku not asking as Izuku knowingly rejecting his pseudo-offer. You had to bend your mind in ten dimensions to get it, but _apparently_ for Kacchan that was the sort of thing that passed as a confession.

Kacchan set his jaw and got a glint in his eye. Uh oh. Izuku had practically grown up with Kacchan. He knew exactly what the boy looked like when he'd decided to say something cruel. "Actually, Deku, I _don't_ have anything to ask you. And the only thing I have to _confess_ is how annoying I find you right now."

He didn't mean it. Izuku knew that he didn't mean it. Still, the words hurt him anyway. For a moment, Kacchan looked like he wanted to take it back, but he didn't. Of course he didn't. Since when would Bakugou Katsuki ever admit that he was wrong just to spare someone else's feelings? Izuku was so mad that he could feel his eyes prickling with tears, which only made him madder. Would it be too much to ask to go through a _single_ stressful moment without crying? "Well," Izuku hissed. "I guess if I'm annoying you so much, it'd be better if I left."

"I could do with fewer crybabies in the vicinity, yeah."

Izuku's jaw dropped, and to his humiliation a tear escaped him. He understood. He'd decided to make it a fight, and if Kacchan was anything, he was ruthless in pursuit of triumph. "A-alright. You win. Bye, Kacchan."

He didn't even get fifty meters away before the cursing and explosions started. Izuku wasn't surprised; Kacchan hadn't looked happy about his victory, but Izuku couldn't bring himself to care. Kacchan was someone else's problem now.

The week leading up to the sports festival was miserable. Izuku's worst fears were confirmed. Not only were he and Kacchan not talking, but the strain was bleeding over into class 1A's interactions. His classmates had begun to realize that they'd only ever seen Kacchan in relatively good moods. Even the normally unflappable Kirishima was starting to look like he was feeling the strain of Kacchan's incessant surliness. No one was immune to Kacchan's fits of anger except for Izuku, who was treated to a constant and conspicuous silence.

"Man, it's not super surprising to see Bakugou being a prickly jerk, but it's really weird to see you moping so much, Midoriya," said Kirishima.

Izuku ducked his head. "Ah, s-sorry Kirishima."

"Um. Did you and Bakugou have a fight?" Ochaco asked gently.

"Yeah," he admitted morosely.

There was a pointed silence as his friends exchanged glances. "Excuse me for asking, Midoriya!" Iida proclaimed. "I know that it is rude to inquire about such sensitive personal matters. It's only that as your friends, we would like to help you, but cannot do so unless we know what caused this rift between you and Bakugou to grow so tumultuously."

Izuku almost smiled at Iida's overly-formal manner of speaking. "Oh, um. You guys will think it's stupid. I mean, it _is_ stupid…"

"I'm sure it's not stupid, Deku," encouraged Ochaco.

"Well…" Izuku cringed. "You'll change your mind soon. Um. Me and Kacchan are fighting because, uh. He kind of… wants me to confess my feelings for him first, but I think he should have to make the first move for once." Everyone at the lunch table stared at him, blank faced. "I know! I know it's dumb. I told you that it's dumb. But—it's just—we had a fight about it, and then Kacchan said some things that were kind of mean, and I got mad and we haven't talked since."

"I knew it was Bakugou's fault," grinned Kirishima.

"No!" protested Izuku. "Well, I mean, it is a little, but… I kind of started it, too. I knew that it would be hard for him and I could've solved all our problems so _easily_ , but I got stubborn."

"That's funny," mused Kirishima. "'Cause earlier he seemed pretty convinced that it was all his fault and that he didn't deserve you."

Izuku gaped at the redhead. "You… he said that?"

"Weeeell," Kirishima prevaricated. "Not using those exact words, but that was the gist of it. It's kind of funny that you both blame yourselves."

"Wait, hold on," interrupted Ochaco. "I'm confused, Deku. I thought you and Bakugou were _already_ boyfriends."

"We are!" It wasn't until he said it that Izuku realized how true it was. "We really, _really_ are. Except neither one of us can man up enough to just freaking admit it!" Now that the words were out, it was like he couldn't stop them. "We do everything that b-boyfriends would do, and he's the best friend I've ever had, and I _hate_ that we're both so stubborn that we ruined everything."

To his utter humiliation, Izuku felt tears well up in his eyes. "A-and. And the worst part is that I get it. I know that Kacchan is bad at stuff like this, and he _hates_ being bad at anything. That's why he always lets me make the first move. He-he's probably so much madder at himself for this stupid fight than I am. And he must've been so p-pissed at himself every time he tried to say something before it and didn't know how."

Izuku knuckled at his eyes. "B-but. It's just… It's not easy for me _either_ , talking about this stuff. And I wish he'd just take over for once and not make me have to translate all these subtle cues and the 'do-I don't-I?' moments. Or if he'd just apologize with real words, that'd be nice too."

His friends looked stunned at his deluge. Izuku didn't normally speak so much except when he was muttering, but his mutter storms weren't half as passionate. "Of course it's not fair!" cried Ochaco supportively. "You shouldn't have to try to navigate Bakugou's weird moods. And he should definitely apologize if he said nasty things to you!"

Izuku was about to thank Ochaco when Iida's hand slammed down on the table. "Midoriya! I sincerely apologize for how rude these words will be, but I believe you are being incredibly immature!"

Everyone gaped at Iida. "Wh-what?" stammered Izuku.

"Of course, Uraraka is correct in what she said. The blame does not solely rest on your shoulders." He stared Izuku directly in the eyes. "However, if what you say is correct, then you are fully aware of Bakugou's feelings for you, and you also return those feelings! The only thing holding you back from achieving a happy resolution is your own pride." Iida bowed his head. "Please forgive my harsh words, but my brother—the great hero Ingenium!—once told me that it is foolish to surrender the war in order to win a single battle. Even if Bakugou is in the wrong, you must decide whether being right on this occasion is worth risking your friendship and relationship."

"That's… really harsh, Iida," chided Ochaco.

"No!" said Izuku. "He's right. I _am_ being childish. I know what I have to do to fix things with Kacchan." He was pretty sure he could even get a genuine apology from Kacchan if he went about it the right way. "I just… I really wanted Kacchan to admit that I'm right. But that's not worth all this trouble." Izuku clapped a hand onto Iida's shoulder. "Thanks Iida! You reminded me that I have to keep focused on what I really care about, not just what feels good in the moment."

"I did?" said Iida. "I-I mean, of course I did! The words of the great hero Ingenium could never be wrong! I am grateful that my brother's wisdom inspired us to find a resolution to this calamitous quandary!"

"I am overjoyed to see such a display of heroic comradery in our great halls!"

"All Might?!" chorused the baffled students.

"Um. What are you doing in the cafeteria, All Might?" asked Izuku.

"Young Midoriya! If it is not too much trouble, I was wondering if you might be interested in eating your rice with me in the teacher's lounge?" All Might held up his bag of rice, which looked comically small in comparison to his huge frame.

His classmates' faces went blank so quickly that it was scary. Iida opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say cut off into a wheeze when Ochaco elbowed him—hard—in the stomach. "I wasn't going to-" Iida hissed out, before being elbowed again.

"Oh, you must be wanting to talk to Deku about his results on the fitness tests you gave us yesterday," Ochaco said just a touch too loudly.

"Yeah, definitely," agreed Izuku, and before anyone else could say something silly, he got up and followed All Might out of the cafeteria.

"What was that all about?" his mentor whispered to him.

Izuku shrugged. "They've been acting weird ever since- um. Ever since USJ."

All Might's face fell. "Ah. I hope that they weren't disillusioned with my prowess as a hero after those terrible events."

"I'm sure it's not that!" Izuku assured him. "They- they're probably just teasing me." He was pretty certain that there was more to it than that, but he definitely wasn't ready to admit that his classmates might've somehow learned about All Might passing on his quirk to Izuku.

His mentor peered at him searchingly for a moment before nodding and closing the door to the teacher's lounge behind them. As soon as they were cut off from the rest of the school, he immediately reverted to his smaller form with a sigh. "You're probably wondering why I pulled you away from your friends, so I'll make this quick." His expression sobered.

"We last spoke of this right after the events at USJ. That day… you were so burdened already by what had taken place, that I didn't want to put any more pressure on you." All Might looked at him solemnly. "But the truth is that you were right. I gave One for All to you because I intended to make you my successor to the mantle of the Symbol of Peace. You know that I don't have much time left, and there are villains out there who are waiting for the day that I can no longer protect the world. Young Midoriya… after USJ, you told me that you were willing to accept the burden of being my successor and all that it entails. You said that you wanted to be the kind of hero that brings hope to the world. Do you still feel that way?"

Izuku clenched his fists where they rested on his thighs. "Yes," he said. He thought of Tsuyu, of all the sorrow that Evil could cause once All Might was forced to retire. "More than anything else in the world, yes."

"Even more than repairing your relationship with young Bakugou?"

He looked up, startled. "What do you mean?"

"My boy," began All Might solemnly. "Yuuei's sports festival is a rare opportunity. It's a chance for you to make a statement. Given recent events, all eyes will be on the freshmen this year. You can tell the world "I'm here"."

Izuku swallowed heavily. "Like… like saying "Yeah, All Might may be gone soon, but Midoriya Izuku's going to take his place."?"

All Might nodded. "Exactly like that. This chance may not come around again, so you cannot afford to be distracted by anything, not even matters of the heart." He sighed. "I know that things between you and Bakugo are tense right now." Yeah, anyone with eyes could see that. "But I must ask you to hold off on dealing with those stressful emotions until after the sports festival has been completed, lest they hinder your performance."

He bit his lip, but nodded. "O-okay, All Might."

His mentor clasped his shoulder. "I am sorry for asking this of you. If it's any consolation, though, I am certain that your showing during the sports festival will make me very proud."

"Thank you, All Might." Izuku said, determined. "I won't let you down."

To his friend's bafflement, Izuku did as he promised and didn't talk with Kacchan before the sports festival- even though he was dying to. All Might was right. His future as a hero… it was more important than anything. Lives could be at stake, and Izuku had promised never to let anyone else die because of him. When the beginning of the festival finally arrived, Izuku was more relieved than nervous. Part of him just wanted to get it over with. Therefore, he was more nonplussed than anything when Todoroki called him out in front of everyone.

"Midoriya!"

He turned around. "Hm? What is it?"

"On an objective basis, I think I may be stronger than you, at least in practical terms."

Normally, Izuku would agree. Todoroki's quirk was incredible, and he didn't even use the power that he'd inherited from his dad, the number two hero in Japan. However, today was going to be the day that he showed the world just who Midoriya Izuku was, so he couldn't afford to be cowed. He raised his chin defiantly. "Maybe," allowed Izuku. "But I wouldn't be so sure."

Todoroki paused. Clearly he'd been expecting Izuku to behave self-depreciatingly like he normally did. "Hm. Perhaps. You do have All Might's power after all."

There was a gasp from somewhere behind him. Todoroki had blown the lid right off that thing that the whole class had been keeping a secret for weeks. Izuku fought the urge to stutter and deny it, knowing it wouldn't do any good now. Luckily, he didn't have to because Kacchan stalked up to them.

"Will you shut the fuck up, you half-and-half bastard?" Kacchan snarled.

Todoroki blinked, somewhat taken aback. "I just wanted to let Midoriya know that I'm going to beat him, regardless of whose powers he inherited."

Kacchan looked furious. "God, will you stop waving your dick around for one fucking second? Obviously _you_ inherited a massive fucking inferiority complex from your shitty, perpetual number-two dad."

"Oh shit," Kaminari muttered. "This is gonna get good."

Now it's was Todoroki's turn to sputter. "You- you can't say- You don't know anything about me!"

"I can say whatever the fuck I want, and obviously you feel the same way, or else you wouldn't go around flapping your gab without even spending a half a second thinking about the goddamn _consequences_. Maybe someday you'll learn that it's not okay to say shit just to soothe your own fragile ego, but Deku doesn't need another arrogant bastard using him for that. So just leave him the fuck alone."

As if he'd timed it, before anyone could respond there was an announcement for the freshmen to make their way to the main arena. Izuku stumbled through the tunnel despite his efforts to appear cool and aloof. He was way too distracted by Kacchan's words. _Another_ arrogant bastard…? Had he been talking about…?

Izuku was so distracted by his thoughts that he missed most of Midnight's speech. He snapped out of it when Kacchan was called up to the stage. The blonde skulked up the steps and grabbed the microphone from the teacher's hands before pausing. He seemed to center himself before mumbling something so inaudible that even the mic couldn't pick it up.

"What was that, young man? Don't be shy," encouraged Midnight.

"I'm not shy!" Kacchan glowered. "I just wanted to say… Deku!"

Izuku jumped, and pointed towards himself incredulously, as if there were another 'Deku' at Yuuei.

"I'm sorry. I said some stupid shit that I shouldn't have said, and made you sad. You're the best friend I ever had and I don't want to ruin that just because I'm an arrogant asshole." Kacchan scowled. "Oh and also I'm going to crush all you extras. You'll make great stepping stones."

Izuku could barely think beyond the buzzing in his mind. Kacchan had apologized to him, in front of thousands of people… millions, if you counted the ones watching on TV. More than that though, Izuku knew that Kacchan was trying to piss everyone off, to make them come at him with everything they had. Except, even though the other classes were annoyed at Kacchan, none of them were really taking him seriously. Some people were even teasing him for being sappy on national television. Kacchan had… he'd given up his biggest chance to make a good first impression, all for Izuku.

"All Might… I'm sorry," he mumbled softly. He looked up and met Kacchan's eyes determinedly when the other boy tried to pass him in the crowd. "Kacchan!" he called.

The blonde turned to him, an inscrutable expression on his face.

"Um. I know we're about to start, so I'll be quick. I'm also sorry for being too proud to reach out to you first. I was hoping- that is… Will you be my boyfriend!"

Kacchan's lips twitched upwards, but he only nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"WHAT!" screamed Ochaco before Izuku could reply. "After all that… you're just going to say 'yeah, sure'!?"

Kacchan shrugged. "I already said everything I wanted to say."

"Oh. My. God. BOYS!" wailed Ochaco.

Izuku blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah. Um. Good. I'm glad. It's only…"

"What, you expected something else?" Kacchan asked.

"O-oh," Izuku blushed. "Well, I was kind of… hoping for a kiss, maybe?"

Kacchan gaped just slightly, and Izuku crowed internally about truly catching him off guard.

"Well!" interjected Midnight. "As much as I enjoy this youthful display of passion—and really, I genuinely do—save it for after the sports festival, boys!"

Izuku chuckled, but when his eyes met Kacchan's, he saw that his… his _boyfriend_ had the same determination he felt. Midnight didn't give them a chance to talk, explaining the obstacle course, but that was okay. He and Kacchan didn't need any more words. They both understood that things were resolved between them. Contrary to what All Might had said, Izuku didn't feel distracted at all. Izuku had been competing with Kacchan his whole life in one way or another, and returning to their previous dynamic—even with this new element—grounded him. He felt ready to tackle any challenges that they could throw at him.

"Just because we're boyfriends now doesn't mean I'm going to hold anything back, Deku."

Izuku just grinned. "You know what, Kacchan? Today's gonna be the day that I finally beat you."

It didn't matter what anyone else thought. It didn't matter who else had challenged him. In the end, it was going to come down to him and Kacchan. Izuku could feel it.

"You wish," goaded Kacchan.

Izuku didn't have a chance to respond before Midnight cried:

"Ready? START!"

A/N: As I rule, I don't believe in character bashing. (Sorry if this ruffles feathers but-) Honestly I think that "character bashing" is a waste of characters, and generally leads to the protagonist being portrayed as flawless and perfect while the "bashed" character is assigned blame for everything wrong in the story. There's nothing inherently wrong with character bashing in fanfic (it's your fic, do what you want), but it detracts from the narrative, in my opinion. Therefore, I will NEVER character bash anyone in this fic. However, due to this nature of this story being written from a single perspective, some people will be portrayed in negative lights. Since we don't have an omniscient narrator, we won't immediately understand everyone's motivations. It isn't just Todoroki (it's going to happen more, later on), but for example, Todoroki being a jerk here in no way signifies my opinions of him as a character, and for all you Todoroki fans out there, don't worry. His moment is coming, just like in canon.


	9. Chapter 8

Ch 8

"Ready… START"

With a bang, the assembled Yuuei students ran at top speed through the tunnel. Actually it ended up being problematic because they all squeezed together uncomfortably. Izuku gritted his teeth, but resigned himself to sticking with the crowd for now. He could activate Full Cowl and push his way through it, but that'd probably end up getting someone hurt in the crush of things, and he wasn't that desperate yet. By the time they all escaped the tunnel, Todoroki had pulled ahead somehow.

Izuku was just about to jet forward when Todoroki used his quirk to ice everyone behind him. Literally. Izuku activated Full Cowl and busted straight through the barrier, just in time to see the robots from the Entrance Exam jump out in front of them. A couple of iced-over zero-point bots teetered precariously and fell; Izuku hoped that no one had been underneath them. He punched a couple of smaller robots that locked onto him, destroying them easily. Unlike during his first exam, Izuku didn't even feel a twinge. He grinned. He'd known intellectually that he'd improved, but it was reassuring to see concrete proof.

Kirishima and a boy from Class 1B—who also seemed to have a Hardening quirk—burst out from underneath the frozen bots, before running ahead. "See you later, losers!" yelled Kacchan as he blasted himself over the enormous machines. Sero used his tape to also vault over them and Tokoyami did something similar with Dark Shadow. Izuku scowled. He was falling behind.

Okay, time to analyze his options. At full speed, it'd be pretty simple to maneuver his way around the robots. Or, if he wanted to be flashy, he could jump over them like the others had. Izuku grinned and kicked off his shoes. He wouldn't be needing them anymore. What he was going to do… it wasn't the most efficient way by any means. If this were truly a simple obstacle race then he'd never go for such a wasteful path. However, the sports festival wasn't just a school event… it was Izuku's chance to show the world who he was. It was time to make a first impression, so it'd better be a flashy one.

Izuku kneeled into a runner's pose, skin crackling with One for All's energy. He focused on the soles of his feet. Just like the palms of his hands, the soles of his feet contained the greatest concentration of sweat glands on his body. Izuku hadn't spent nearly as much time refining the technique with his feet, but nevertheless it could still give him a good boost for a run like this.

He shot forward, enhancing his muscles as much as he dared. Once he was close enough to a zero-point robot, he planted his feet in the ground. "Smash!" Izuku grunted, rocketing forward through the air like a missile. He aimed himself so that he'd hit the robot head first, like a dart. Keeping his left arm over his head, Izuku bolstered his defenses as much and at the last possible moment thrust his right arm behind him. "Smash!" he yelled again. The shockwave was more powerful this time, giving him a final burst of momentum right when he hit the robot.

The impact was jarring, even with so much of his power pooled beneath his skin, cushioning him. Nevertheless, his plan worked. Izuku rocketed right _through_ the zero-point bot. He heard it crunching and collapsing against the ground behind him.

"Whoa!" cried Present Mic, who was announcing the event. "It seems Midoriya Izuku, from the heroics class 1A, has shot right through that huge robot! What an explosive kid! Wait a minute, is it Izuku or Deku? Didn't that Bakugou boy call him Deku earlier?"

Grinning, Izuku turned his focus to his feet. Now it was time for speed. He was the fastest person on the field right now, since Iida was still caught up in the robots. Time to take advantage of that. Plus, he could imagine how pissed off Kacchan would be, hearing Izuku's nickname announced over the loudspeakers. He wanted to see his boyfriend's expression while it was still fresh. Indeed, Kacchan's face when Izuku ran straight past him was priceless.

The second obstacle was a huge pit trap. There were small raised platforms connected by steel cables. The smartest thing to do would be to take his time with the challenge. Izuku was in first place, and he could afford to sacrifice some time in order to ensure that he completed the race. It'd be the correct decision. The Izuku from a few weeks ago would've made it easily. But carefully crawling across the ropes wouldn't look very cool, would it?

"Heh…" chuckled Izuku nervously, although he tried to hide his anxiety behind a grin. The cameras were sure to be on him. "Time to show them what I've got."

He braced himself, before leaping over the edge. Izuku didn't really have a good idea of what his maximum range was, since he hadn't exactly gotten a chance to practice jumping over pits using his smashes. Luckily he could stabilize himself in the air somewhat using weak bursts from his hands. Izuku hit a platform hard, skidding towards the edge. He punched his fist into the ground, stopping himself before he slid off the platform. "Ha! This is nothing!" Izuku bragged. Secretly though, his heart was racing. Oh god. The last time he'd been that high up, he'd shattered both of his legs. One wrong move and he would've fallen to his death (or at least to an early loss, Yuuei probably had some sort of safety net in the pit).

A quick glanced showed him that he was about halfway across the obstacle. Todoroki was quickly catching up, using his ice to skid across the cables. Kacchan wasn't far behind either. Okay, no problem. He'd already cleared half of it. Izuku just had to throw himself into the air again, risking not only catastrophic bodily harm if he landed wrong, but also abject humiliation in front of the entire country. No biggie.

Before he could talk himself into wimping out, Izuku coiled his body and sprang forward. He didn't have room to make a running start like he had in the beginning, so he thrust his arms downward. "Smash!" Izuku yelled, propelling himself far enough to clear the pit easily. He channeled his energy to his feet, releasing a little burst to slow himself down enough that he landed and was able to immediately set forward at a sprint.

"Incredible! Midoriya's cleared the second obstacle in just two bounds. He's definitely established himself as the guy to beat. Let's see if he has more trouble with the third challenge!"

This was it. All eyes were on him. As he rounded the corner to the mine field, Izuku didn't even hesitate. It was too long for him to clear in a single jump. He could probably risk taking a couple of leaps. He was tough enough to withstand the explosions from the landmines, since they couldn't possibly be strong enough to seriously injure the students. But, as he kept reminding himself, Izuku wasn't here to win. He was here to make a statement.

Hm. The mines were likely placed far enough away from each other so that one detonating wouldn't cause a chain reaction. It wouldn't matter. Not for what he had planned, anyway. Izuku grinned, this time for real. "If that other stuff didn't make an impression, then _this_ should do the trick." It would ruin the obstacle for the other students, but Izuku couldn't afford to be concerned about the people behind him. He had to keep looking forward.

Izuku spread his arms as wide as he could, and channeled his power to the palms of his hand. This attack would be useless in combat, given the amount of time it took to power up safely. Still, for something like this it was perfect. Izuku didn't move until he felt his hands shaking with the strain of containing so much energy. Then, he swung his arms up over his head, and brought them down with all his strength, kneeling so that his arms smacked the ground. "Tokyo… SMASH!" Izuku yelled, releasing the pent-up energy.

For a split second, all Izuku felt was the rumbling of the ground in front of him, spreading out in a shockwave. Then, the mines started exploding. The separation between blasts was almost imperceptible, considering how quickly the shockwave moved. It created an even greater effect, prolonging the explosion as if it were one long blast rather than a bunch of individual bombs. Izuku gritted his teeth, digging his hands into the ground to keep from being blown away. Even for him, it was a challenge to withstand the concussive force.

As soon as the initial explosions died down, Izuku shot forward through the cloud of dust and rubble, easily clearing the now bomb-free course and entering the tunnel that marked the end of the race.

"What a reckless move!" cried Present Mic. "That explosion was way stronger than was intended. It might have seriously injured him. Did Midoriya throw away his lead in a fit of adolescent pique?"

Oh? They must not have seen him enter the tunnel. Izuku felt a huge grin growing on his face. Oh man. This was going to be great.

"The dust is clearing and there's no sign of him. Oh no! I-I think that Midoriya may have…"

"Don't be so hasty, Present Mic," interjected Aizawa lazily. "Look at the finish line."

"Is it… could it be? It is! It's Midoriya! While our vision was blocked, he ran right through the course and crossed the finish line. Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the first challenge is Midoriya Izuku!"

The crowd roared so loudly that it seemed more like a physical presence than a sound. Izuku laughed, delighted, and threw a fist in the air. The audience tried to start up a chant of 'Midoriya', but there were too many syllables. It was awkward and clunky. He wasn't exactly sure how it happened—maybe the crowd remembered Present Mic saying it after the first obstacle, or maybe Kacchan's speech in the beginning had just made that much of an impression—but soon they started chanting "DE-KU, DE-KU, DE-KU!"

Izuku basked in the feeling, until he was sent unceremoniously tumbling into the dirt. He rolled over. "Ugh, Kacchan," complained Izuku. "What the heck was that for?"

Kacchan's eye twitched. "Deku, you idiot, you ruined the course for everyone else. Now a bunch of weak extras are going to get through."

Izuku just shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, but it was pretty cool, huh?"

"When the hell did you get an attack like that, anyways?"

"Ah, I've been working on it the past couple of weeks."

Kacchan raised his gaze heavenward as if pleading with a higher power. "Get up, Deku," he muttered before bodily pulling Izuku to his feet. "You definitely don't look cool eating dirt."

Just then, Todoroki exited the tunnel, panting. Izuku grinned at Kacchan. "You beat Todoroki! Good job, Kacchan!"

"Hmph. Once you torched the minefield, it was just a matter of pure speed. Half-and-Half is pretty strong but my explosions make me much faster than him." Kacchan scowled. "You better not've cleared the way for me on purpose."

"N-no! Of course not Kacchan! I was just… trying to impress everyone," chuckled Izuku sheepishly.

Kacchan glared at him suspiciously before nodding. "Alright. I'll just have to crush you in the next round then."

"Sure, sure," placated Izuku with a grin. There was probably something strange about him that he found threats from his boyfriend to be cute, but oh well.

His good mood lasted until Midnight explained the nature of the second trial. A cavalry battle? Where his headband would guarantee victory for anyone who grabbed it? The entire field would be gunning for his team. He'd have a hard chance attracting anyone but the most desperate. Izuku wasn't necessarily opposed to everyone focusing on him. Even though it majorly freaked him out, it fit nicely with his objectives. And, quite frankly, he thought that he'd still be able to eke out a pass, even if he lost the 10-million-point bandana. The only problem was that he didn't just want to pass; he wanted to blow everyone else away. Except, who could he convince to be on a team with him?

"Hey, Deku!" called Ochaco. "You want to team up with me?"

"O-ochaco?" Izuku said, baffled. "But… everyone in the competition will be coming after us!"

"Well, we'll just run away the whole time! Besides, it's better to be on a team with people you already get along with, right?"

"A-ah, right!" grinned Izuku. "Thanks, Ochaco! You're a real friend."

Plus, with Ochaco on his team, Izuku had the beginnings of a strategy. Of course, if he wanted to win this challenge in style, there was one person he had to convince. "I have an idea. Follow me!"

The two of them weaved through the crowd, and Izuku tried to ignore the stares people sent his way. Oh yeah, they were definitely gunning for him. Finally, he reached his target.

"Kacchan!" Izuku cried, interrupting their various classmates who had surrounded the blonde. "Please, join our team!"

"No way!" Sero cried. "That'd be so unfair. You can't have two of the strongest guys in our class on one team. Besides, Bakugou was just going to choose me!"

"What's your name again?" Kacchan frowned. Sero looked dejected. "Never mind. Deku, I told you that I was going to crush you in this challenge. Why do you think I'd change my mind?"

Izuku grinned. Tellingly, Kacchan hadn't said 'no' outright. That meant that he was at least willing to hear Izuku out. "Well this wouldn't really count, would it? We have other people on our teams that would get in the way. It's not an even fight between the two of us, so it'd be a waste of time."

"Hmm," mused Kacchan, but he definitely appeared intrigued. Ha! Izuku had baited the hook, now time to sweeten the deal.

"And you could be our team Captain! Your hands would be free to blast people, and I can withstand your explosions so you could use them without holding back!"

"Hey!" cried Kirishima. "That was _my_ idea!"

Izuku winced. "Oh. Sorry, Kirishima." The redhead wouldn't fit into his plan, unfortunately. Izuku couldn't afford to choose teammates just based on who he liked the best.

"Those are all good points," conceded Kacchan. "But what I don't get is why _you_ would want to team up with _me_." He stared at Izuku intently. "You're trying to get noticed. That's why you pulled that stunt with the landmines. Teaming up with me and putting me at the head will just deflect attention from yourself. You're strong enough that you don't need me to pass. What's your strategy, Deku?"

Izuku grinned. "Heh, of course you'd realize that." Kacchan knew him better than anyone else in the world. Except, Izuku also knew _Kacchan_ better than anyone else did. He knew exactly what to say. "The thing is, Kacchan… I don't want to just get through to the next round." He met Kacchan's eyes, knowing that his boyfriend would see just how serious he was. "I want to get every single point in the game. And I know that I can't do it without you. Kacchan… we've always competed. We've never had the chance to see what would happen if we worked together." Izuku stepped up inside Kacchan's personal bubble, angling his face up to maintain eye contact. "Let's save our fight for next round. If it's like previous years, they'll have one on one matches. For now, let's team up. Together… we could _crush_ everyone here."

Kacchan was staring at him, mouth gaping open slightly. The look in his eyes… it was _hungry_ like he wanted to _eat_ Izuku. Um. He might've miscalculated slightly. Izuku blushed. He knew that Kacchan would like what he said; that's the whole reason he chose that strategy. He didn't know that Kacchan would really _like_ it though. He gulped. Seeing that look on Kacchan's face, um- it made Izuku feel… things. Slowly, Kacchan's mouth spread into a huge grin, although the hunger in his eyes didn't dissipate one iota.

"God damnit," moaned Kirishima. "Look at Bakugou's face! We can't compete with Midoriya's bedroom eyes."

"Ew, ew, ew!" Ashido covered her face with her hands. "Can you two save it until after the sports festival, at least? There are children watching this."

"We should just team up together," muttered Sero. "Clearly Bakugou's a lost cause."

The three of them wandered off in search of a fourth teammate. Kacchan just kept grinning down at Izuku, until Ochaco cleared her throat. "Uh, so I guess you're in then, Team Captain?"

"Hell yeah. Deku's right. We're going to crush everyone. Count your lucky stars that you're on our team, Round-face."

"Kacchan!" protested Deku. "Ochaco is vital to the strategy."

"So what's this strategy, then?" Kacchan raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain it when we get our fourth teammate. Iida should be perfect for us."

"You mean Private School?" grunted Kacchan. "Too late." He pointed over to where Iida had clearly teamed up with Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari.

"Aw darn," swore Izuku. "That's a great combination. Todoroki must be intending on putting Iida in front. Yaoyorozu can make skates or something for her and Kaminari, and they'll be able to zip around the field. And she and Kaminari make great flanks. Their quirks are perfect for deflecting attacks."

Kacchan snapped his fingers in front of Izuku's face. "Focus, Deku. Mutter-storm later. Who would complete this oh-so-amazing plan of yours?"

"May I suggest myself?" a girl said cheerily. She was kind of odd looking, covered in strange gadgets and gizmos.

"Oh! You're the one from the support department," Ochaco said.

"Hatsume Mei, at your service! If I was on a team with the number one and two finishers, everyone's eyes would be on me. It'll be the perfect chance to show off my babies to the big companies!"

Izuku was kind of skeptical at first, especially since the girl clearly only wanted to be on their team in order to show off her 'babies'. However, that changed when she pulled out a replica of the Buster Hero, Air Jet's backpack. Izuku took a second look at Hatsume's equipment. Actually… "This is perfect!" grinned Izuku.

"Really?" asked Kacchan dubiously.

"Here, let me explain…"

By the time Izuku finished conveying his strategy, Kacchan's grin had grown to almost manic proportions. "Heh. Oh yeah, I knew teaming up with you would be good, Deku. It's time to crush everyone."

When the match started, everyone ran straight for their team. Izuku grinned. Just like he thought. He'd hidden his hands behind himself while the teams were taking their places. Anyone looking would assume that he was holding up Kacchan, except Uraraka had used her quirk on him right away. She and Hatsume were tethering him down from behind. That meant that Izuku had been able to spend the whole time Midnight was talking to gather energy into the palm of his hand.

"Let's start with a bang, guys! Tokyo SMASH!" Izuku swung his arm across his body, and a gust of wind blew outwards as if he'd swung a massive fan. It caught a few teams off guard, sending them toppling over. Izuku noted that Hagakure's team, with Jiro, Sato, and Koda was one of them, but he didn't have time to feel remorse. He'd promised to take every point, and that meant the ones from his friends as well.

"Move!" commanded Kacchan.

Uraraka reversed Kacchan's weightlessness, while she and Hatsume balanced on their outside legs. Each of them was wearing one of Hatsume's hover boots. Izuku grinned and ran ahead at full speed, assisted by Kacchan aiming his explosions behind himself. They shot forward, grabbing the headbands of the teams that they'd knocked prone.

"Three down, seven to go!" cheered Uraraka.

"Don't forget that those guys we beat can get up and try again," Kacchan reminded them. "Keep your guard up." Nevertheless, Izuku could hear the grin in his voice.

Their path was cut off by a wall of ice. Team Todoroki and Team Ashido—consisting of Ashido, Hirishima, Sero, and Tokoyami—stood behind them, cutting off their path. A couple of more teams were also closing in.

"Heh. Trying to trap us, huh?" goaded Kacchan. "Alright squad, time for evasive maneuvers."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed, and he sent a wave of ice at them, trying to freeze their feet to the ground. He wasn't fast enough though. Ochaco tapped Hatsume, Izuku, and Kacchan. Hatsume wrapped a cable around them to keep them from floating away from each other, and Kacchan blasted them up into the air. Sero tried to peg them with his tape, but Izuku blew it aside with another, weaker Smash. It would've sent them reeling except Kacchan stabilized them all with small counter-explosions.

There was a tense moment while everyone looked up at them. Apparently, no one had any decent long ranged attacks. Kacchan laughed. "You extras are toast. We could just sit up here for thirteen more minutes and win." He paused. "But too bad for you, our goal is grind you all into dust."

Normally, Ochaco's quirk wouldn't be useful for something like this. Once her targets were weightless, they couldn't maneuver themselves, and would float off into the atmosphere if she didn't stop them. Except, between Kacchan's explosions, Izuku's smashes, and Hatsume's jet pack, they could zip around as long as they wanted.

The battle that followed was—quite frankly—unfair. It was like everyone else was stuck on horses in the Middle Ages, and team Bakugou had an apache helicopter. They swooped around the field like bats out of hell. When they fought a team together, they'd rocket down towards them, letting Izuku take the brunt of their opponent's counterattacks while Kacchan blasted them to smithereens and grabbed their headbands. They didn't always fight together though; Hatsume and Ochaco could stay in the air, holding on to each other, while attaching the grappling hooks on Hatsume's belt to Kacchan and Izuku. Then the boys could propel themselves at two different teams and fight them, letting Hatsume retract them when they were finished.

After Kacchan's neck was adorned with seven headbands, the other squads stopped going after them. Instead, most decided to attack the few teams who still had their bands. With team Bakugou hoarding so many points, probably anyone who could get even a single headband would advance.

"Let's go for Pinky next," grinned Kacchan. "That stupid tape guy is seriously annoying me."

The four of them hooked onto each other again. Between Ashido's acid, Sero's tape, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, and Kirishima's defense, it would be a tough fight.

"Kacchan," Izuku said. "Aim for Dark Shadow. It gets weaker when it's hit with light." It was just a guess, but Izuku's hunches about quirks had a tendency to turn out to be correct.

"Perfect. Deku, Jet Girl, take over the propulsion."

Izuku and Hatsume launched them towards Team Ashido, and Kacchan preemptively dazzled them with dozens of small explosions. Just as Izuku suspected, Dark Shadow flinched away from them in a critical moment. Izuku ignored Kirishima and punched out at Sero. The boy's tape was their biggest threat right now. Once Sero was out of the picture (lying dazed on the ground from Izuku's blow), it was simple to take their team's headband. Even though Ashido's quirk was strong, she couldn't stand up to Kacchan's explosions.

They rocketed back up above the arena. "Huh," Izuku mused. "It looks like the only headbands left are Todoroki's and that one guy from Gen Ed." He frowned as he looked down at the General Education student… Shinsou, he thought. As one of the only people left with any headbands, his team was a major target. And yet, whenever anybody got close, they'd turn away without even trying to fight him. It was suspicious, almost like…

"A brainwashing quirk," mumbled Izuku.

"What was that, Deku?" asked Ochaco.

"Oh! I think that guy from Gen Ed has a brainwashing quirk. See how everyone turns around and goes the other way once they see him?" Izuku looked closer. That didn't seem quite right. "No… he's… he's talking to them. It must be something related to Shinsou's voice."

"So we have to make sure we can't hear the fucker?" mused Kacchan.

"I have just the thing!" cheered Hatsume. She riffled through her bag, producing a pair of ear buds. "They're noise canceling! I wish I could say that it's a super cool invention, but I just use them to study," she admitted.

"Whatever. They'll work," said Kacchan, who snatched them and stuffed them in his ears. "You guys stay here," he commanded, before rocketing off towards Shinsou.

"It'd be so much safer if I went instead," complained Izuku. "He's wearing all our points!"

Regardless, their strategy seemed to work, because even though Shinsou tried to talk to Kacchan, he wasn't able to brainwash him. It seemed to be his only trick, since he had no other defenses against Kacchan. In fact, now that he was looking closely, Izuku could see that Shinsou's team was brainwashed as well. He must not know their quirks, because Ojiro didn't even try to bat at Kacchan with his tail.

Once Kacchan grabbed the headband, Hatsume pressed the button to retract the grappling hook tied around his waist, and he flew back to the group. "Alright," he grunted. "Now all that's left is-"

Before he could finish, a massive wall of ice blocked off half the stadium. It would've caught them if Izuku hadn't blown them away at the last second.

"Hey!" called Todoroki. "If you want my headband, you're going to have to come get it." Todoroki grinned.

Izuku frowned in contemplation. Contrary to his initial thoughts, Todoroki hadn't been aiming for him. Rather, the huge wall of ice neatly separated them from everyone else on the field. No one would be able to interfere with their fight, although he could see some people trying to chip through the barrier. With only a minute left, there was no way that they'd break it though.

"Heh. So Half-and-half wants to play, huh? Round-face! Let us down."

Ochaco nodded and reversed her quirk. They started falling to the ground, but between all of their abilities, they were able to control their decent, landing gently. "We have to be careful," said Izuku. "Kaminari's electricity can keep us at bay. Plus, I can't defend against it." Strengthening his body wouldn't do him any good against getting shocked.

"My babies won't hold up very well either," admitted Hatsume.

There was a reason they'd left Todoroki for last. They didn't have much time to strategize, though, before their classmates were upon them. Izuku grimaced. Quite frankly, they paired up poorly against Todoroki's team. Even though he and Kacchan were strong, his plan had centered on using their aerial advantage to crush their opponents. Meanwhile, Todoroki's team was well balanced, with a fantastic mix of offensive abilities. Izuku's speed was completely offset by Iida's, and while Kacchan might be able to take out Kaminari, he had to contend with Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. Hatsume had been a valuable contributor with her tech, but she wasn't a fighter. And Ochaco…

Izuku barely managed to push them back in time. Iida had moved forward so quickly that Todoroki had almost snatched the headband off of Kacchan's forehead. Luckily, Izuku was accustomed to sparring with All Might, who made even Iida look slow. It had refined his reflexes to the point where he could dodge just quickly enough. Nevertheless, it had been a close call.

"Ochaco," Izuku whispered, continuing his thought from earlier. "I'm sorry, but I have a favor to ask."

"What is it, Deku?"

"If we get you close… do you think you can touch Kaminari?"

Ochaco paused for a moment. "Yeah," she said eventually, sounding determined. She'd probably get knocked out by Kaminari's electricity, but if it worked then Todoroki would be severely unbalanced. Izuku was definitely strong enough to hold up Kacchan without Ochaco, but Iida and Yaoyorozu would be majorly burdened if they lost Kaminari. Plus, Iida's engines seemed to have stalled after that burst of speed.

"Okay… Kacchan?"

"Yeah," confirmed the blonde. "Let's do it."

They repeated their maneuver from the beginning of the challenge, with Hatsume and Ochaco balancing on one foot each while Kacchan and Izuku sent them hurtling forwards. Yaoyorozu conjured a massive bludgeon to attack them with, and Todoroki looked ready to use his ice against them as well. Kacchan focused his explosions on Todoroki as a distraction and Izuku allowed Yaoyorozu to hit him, absorbing the brunt of the blow. Meanwhile, Ochaco reached for Kaminari, tapping his shoulder. She screamed as electricity arced across her body, collapsing to the ground.

Izuku grabbed her and adjusted Kacchan's weight to hold him with one hand, before jamming his shoulder into Iida's chest, jostling the opposing team. With Kaminari halfway off the ground, the blow sent Todoroki tumbling. Kacchan grinned fiercely and grabbed Todoroki's headband just before the boy fell to the ground.

"Time's up!" cried Present Mic.

"Yes!" Kacchan crowed, hopping off of Izuku's shoulders to the ground. He patted Ochaco's shoulder, ignoring her trembling, and sauntered right up to Izuku. Kacchan stared down at him, the same hungry expression on his face that Izuku saw before the second challenge began. "Deku," he said lowly. "I still can't wait to crush you next round, but you were right." He grinned. "We _do_ make a pretty good team. Now that I'm all fired up…" His eyes were locked on Izuku's lips. Izuku's breath hitched. "And since we're finally boyfriends for fuckin' real." He leaned in even closer. Izuku could feel Kacchan's breath on his face. "I think I should-"

"Well as much as I hate to interrupt this touching moment," said Yaoyorozu. "You might want to look over here before celebrating."

They froze. Slowly, Izuku cocked his head so he could see over Kacchan's shoulder. Yaoyorozu was holding a grip machine, the kind of thing that kids played with. It was really convoluted, thin and twisted, but the concept applied. If she pulled the handle, the claw at the end closed. And in its grip was… the 10-million-point bandana! Izuku felt his blood freeze.

"While you guys were so intent on getting our points, you forgot to defend your own," explained Yaoyorozu.

Izuku cringed. "S-such a level head, Yaoyorozu. Even while your team was falling apart, you kept your cool and went for the win. Ah, we shouldn't have underestimated you."

She laughed. "Well, you still beat us, basically." Iida's legs were smoking while he desperately tried to keep Kaminari from floating away. Todoroki was sitting on the ground, having just propped himself up after falling from his 'horse'. "We're lucky that the challenge ended when it did, or else we'd be disqualified for letting Todoroki fall to the ground."

"N-no! You earned it fair and square!" Izuku was disappointed to have lost, but he couldn't feel too bad. They'd taken out every other team, and Yaoyorozu was right. If they had a few more seconds, they'd have earned every single point. It was a shame that they'd lost the ten-million-point headband, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Izuku still felt like even though they'd technically come in second, they still had made the biggest impression in everyone's mind. "Congratulations, Yaoyorozu! We all- Ah!"

In that moment, Izuku caught sight of Kacchan, who was trembling with rage. "K-Kacchan… we st-still did really well, you know…"

Kacchan pointed directly at Yaoyorozu. "You! What's your name?"

Yaoyorozu's jaw dropped. "We've been in the same class for over a month, Bakugou! M-Midoriya _literally_ just addressed me by name!" She paused for a moment, but when Kacchan made no sign of replying, she sighed. "It's Yaoyorozu, jeez."

"Yaoyorozu," gritted Kacchan. "You'd better hope that we don't meet up in the next round, because if we do, I'll crush you."

He spun on his heel and stalked away, fuming. Yaoyorozu cocked an eyebrow at Izuku, who just rubbed at the back of his head in embarrassment. "Uh, I know that seemed really rude." She kept staring at him. "Okay, it _was_ really rude, um. But, Kacchan doesn't remember anyone's name. The fact that he asked for yours meant that he respects you! Plus, he's probably really mad at himself for losing the headband like that. Ah… please forgive him?"

Yaoyorozu waved a hand dismissively. "Tensions get high in events like these."

Before he could respond, Midnight interrupted. "Congratulations to Team Bakugou and Team Todoroki, who advance to the next round! Of course, you may have noticed that there were no other teams with points! Not to worry, we were well aware of this possibility when we designed the challenge. We've got a round two point five for you. It's similar to the cavalry challenge, but with a twist to keep the audience entertained! This time, it's every student for themselves, and it's sudden death. The points on your headband don't matter anymore. Once it's captured, you're out! The last eight students standing will advance to the final round."

The two winning teams were ushered off the field, and Ochaco was sent to Recovery Lady. Izuku was disappointed that they'd technically lost, but he was still pretty high on how freaking _awesome_ their team had been. Now, he just had to go find Kacchan and convince _him_ of that fact.


	10. Chapter 9

Izuku wanted to watch his classmates' competition. It could be invaluable for the next stage to see half of his competitors' quirks in action, but he wanted to make sure that Kacchan was alright. Todoroki tried to get his attention, but Izuku waved him off. "Uh, in a bit, Todoroki! I just want to talk with Kacchan first!"

He darted off before his classmate could stop him. Izuku headed for Class 1A's locker room, suspecting correctly that Kacchan would've gone there to beat himself up. The blonde's back was to Izuku. Kacchan had one arm braced against the wall from hand to elbow, his forehead pressed to his wrist. Izuku winced and approached his boyfriend cautiously. "Kacchan," he said hesitantly, but the other boy didn't react. Once he got close enough, Izuku leaned against Kacchan, wrapping one arm around his waist.

He stayed there silently for a few seconds before trying again. "Are you mad at me?"

Izuku felt Kacchan's huff before he heard it. "Why would I be mad at you, Deku? _I'm_ the one who fucked up." His free hand banged against the lockers softly. "Your plan worked perfectly. All I had to do was pay attention for two more goddamn seconds."

Izuku winced. It would've been easier to deal with if Kacchan was mad at him. The blonde's fury always burned the brightest when it was directed at himself. He squeezed Kacchan tightly and then grabbed his shoulder and gently tried to turn the boy around. Kacchan didn't resist. His eyes were dry, so Izuku knew that this was just frustration and not something super serious.

"It was my goddamn arrogance again," Kacchan muttered. "Someday I'm going to figure out that my pride always fucking makes me lose."

Izuku grinned. "Yeah," he agreed. Kacchan looked kind of annoyed at having his criticism confirmed so easily. "But still, you have to admit… we were pretty badass." He blushed a little bit while saying the curse word. It wasn't really his style, but Kacchan seemed pretty, uh, happy last time he acted confident, so…

Kacchan looked pensive for a moment before a small grin appeared on his face. "Yeah, we did crush all those extras, didn't we? Even that Half-and-Half bastard didn't stand a chance against us. They had to resort to some sneaky shit in order to win."

"And did you see Kirishima's face when we rocketed towards them?" encouraged Izuku.

"Who's Kiri-what-now?"

Izuku sighed. "Kirishima! You guys are friends." Kacchan just stared at him blankly. "Hair-for-Brains," he muttered.

Kacchan brightened. "Oh yeah! Why didn't you just say so? Heh. You're right he looked so constipated."

"See!" grinned Izuku. "Even though technically we lost, we probably made the biggest impression on everyone watching."

"Hm, I guess we do make a pretty good team, Deku." There was a certain heaviness to his tone that made Izuku realize the position they were in. Kacchan was slumped against the wall, Izuku's hands still on his hips. Izuku was standing really close, so that their feet were in line. There was hardly any space between their bodies. He gulped.

"Y-yeah. Um. It was. Definitely." Was Kacchan getting closer? Kacchan was definitely getting closer. Izuku's heart beat faster and faster. He wanted Kacchan to kiss him, he _really_ wanted Kacchan to kiss him. Except, like this… They were alone. Everyone else was probably focused on the ongoing challenge. Izuku wasn't entirely certain that he'd be able to stop once they started. He'd promised All Might that he wouldn't allow his tension with Kacchan to distract him from the sports festival. He didn't regret asking Kacchan to be his boyfriend, but this… this was exactly the kind of thing that All Might had been warning him about.

Izuku pulled away, grimacing. Kacchan looked disappointed. "I- sorry, it's just. Um. You're really- er. If we started doing… _things_ I don't know if. And the rest of the sports f-festival."

Slowly, Kacchan grinned. "Heh. Are you trying to say that I'm so sexy you don't think you could focus on the sports festival once you got ensnared by my manly seduction?"

His face burned. "I wouldn't put it _exactly_ like that, but-"

"Ha!" crowed Kacchan. "That's a yes! Well, come on then. I wouldn't want you to be so distracted by my burning hotness that you lose before I get a chance to beat you."

Kacchan grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the stadium. Izuku was relieved that he hadn't hurt Kacchan's feelings. They scanned the ongoing melee. They'd missed most of it, but he was able to get a decent look at the remaining competitors' quirks before it ended.

"All right!" cried Midnight. "Now we have the remaining eight challengers! Will the two teams who won the last challenge come back into the arena?"

Dutifully, teams Bakugo and Todoroki took their place by their other classmates. "Well then, the last event is fairly straightforward. It's a simple tournament! We're going to be drawing lots to determine the pairings… and here they are! 

Iida Tenya vs Hatsume Mei

Midoriya Izuku vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Todoroki Shoto vs Sero Hanta

Kendo Itsuka vs Uraraka Ochaco

Kaminari Denki vs Shinsou Hitoshi

Tsubaraba Kosei vs Tokoyami Fumikage

Bakugou Katsuki vs Kirishima Eijiro

Yaoyorozu Momo vs Shiozaki Ibara

Izuku stared at the brackets in contemplation. There were so many possible combinations of opponents to face if he advanced through his fights victoriously. He frowned. He'd have to get past Todoroki, probably, in order to get to the finals. And if he was going to fight Kacchan, then it would be in the very last match. Izuku's blood thrummed just at the thought of it.

"C'mon Deku," Kacchan said. "Let's go grab some grub while we can. You're going to need to get your energy up for when we fight in the finale."

Their classmates sighed, used to Kacchan's abrasive personality, but Tetsutetsu bristled. "So certain of your victories, are you? And what makes you think that I won't beat him in the first round?"

Kacchan squinted at the boy from class 1B. "Who the fuck are you? Actually, I don't care. Deku's going to stomp on you for sure."

Izuku was conflicted between trying to break up the upcoming argument or glowing in Kacchan's praise. Before he could decide, there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Todoroki behind him.

"Hey, while they're distracted… could I talk to you for a second?"

Izuku hesitated, glancing back to where Midnight was trying to get Tetsutetsu and Kacchan to cool down. She seemed to have things under control, and something about Todoroki made Izuku think it was important. Plus, it'd be really rude to refuse. He nodded, and Todoroki led them off to a tunnel in the side of the stadium. Hopefully they'd be able to see anyone approach before they got within hearing range.

He gulped. He wasn't afraid of Todoroki, but the boy was seriously intense. "So… what was it you wanted to say?"

Todoroki frowned. "First off, I wanted to apologize. Bakugou was right. I was out of line earlier. It's not fair for me to take out my anger on you."

Izuku's eyes widened, but he smiled. "O-oh, it's no problem! Is that all-"

"I'm sorry. I forgot that it was a secret, since everyone in our class knows that you're All Might's son."

Izuku just gaped at Todoroki, not entirely certain what kind of alternate dimension that he'd managed to fall into.

"The rumor's been going around since USJ. Some of the people who saw your fight with Shigaraki mentioned what he said to you, before Uraraka put a stop to all the gossiping."

Panicked, Izuku thought back to his conversations with Shigaraki. They were all sort of a blur. Everything after Tsuyu's death was kind of… hazy. He didn't like thinking about it. But he remembered that Shigaraki had asked him if he was All Might's kid. It had been so ludicrous that Izuku just assumed that it'd been another attempt to get into his head.

"Your power isn't just similar to All Might's… it's exactly like his. And how you two interact, there's no way that you only met at the beginning of school. The way he looks at you, it's not how a teacher looks at a student."

Izuku's mind raced. Of course. How could he be so dumb? Why in the world had he assumed that his classmates figured out the secret of One for All? There was a much simpler explanation. No one knew All Might's age for certain, but he was definitely old enough to potentially have a son in high school. Why would anyone think that All Might had passed his quirk onto Izuku? Quirks were inherited. It was much more logical to assume that Izuku was All Might's illegitimate child. And of course it'd be a secret; any son of All Might's would be in immense danger. Countless villains would go after him to get revenge on the number one hero. Wasn't that what Kacchan was trying to say-

Oh. Izuku's thoughts screeched to a halt. Kacchan must think it too. He'd been pissed off about Izuku's secret-keeping right before the events at USJ, wondering why Izuku would deny that his power was similar to All Might's. Afterwards, Kacchan had been oddly protective any time somebody mentioned him and All Might in the same sentence. Of course he thought Izuku was All Might's son. He knew Izuku better than anyone, knew the way that Izuku could spout off literally even the smallest and most obscure of facts about the hero. In a way… Izuku had loved All Might even before meeting the man. That devotion and worship- it must've seemed like the kind of love a son had for his father, once Kacchan thought back on it.

Suddenly, Izuku realized how conspicuous his stunned silence must be. Todoroki looked like Izuku had confirmed his suspicion. Of course he had. He'd been quiet way too long; even if he tried to deny it now, Todoroki would never believe him. Plus… it made sense. It made perfect sense. Right now no one was paying any attention to him, since he was just a student. But eventually, if he achieved his goals, people would write biographies about him, and have television shows dedicated to his backstory. It would be so suspicious, a kid who developed his quirk improbably late, a quirk that was nothing like either of his parents', and who had an incredibly close relationship with All Might. Someone would come to the obvious conclusion that Izuku was All Might's son, and had hid his power until he was old enough to face the consequences.

Or, someone would reach the _correct_ conclusion, which would be even worse. All Might was right. If people knew that the most powerful quirk in the world could be passed on, Izuku would be in terrible danger, even more than the danger he'd face if people thought he was the son of the number one hero. The lie burned Izuku before it was even spoken. It… it was beyond disrespectful to his actual father's memory, to say the least of what it could do to his _mother_. But if so many people already suspected it, then denying the rumor wouldn't do anything but give it more power.

"If…" Izuku swallowed. "If that _were_ true—not that it is—you realize the kind of danger it would put me in? The danger my _mother_ would be in?" He stared imploringly at Todoroki.

The boy's gaze softened. "Of course. I'm sorry again for speaking so carelessly before. Your secret is safe with me. But, that wasn't the reason I wanted to talk to you."

Izuku frowned, heart still racing. "Oh?"

"Bakugou made me realize that if I was going to make you my rival, I at least owed you an explanation as to why."

Now Todoroki had Izuku's full attention. Rival? An explanation? Izuku knew basically nothing about his classmate other than that the boy was Endeavor's son.

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?" asked Todoroki.

The story that followed horrified Izuku. Endeavor had tortured Todoroki's mother so much that she snapped, giving him the scar that disfigured his face? It seemed so impossible that he wouldn't have believed it were it not for the utter sincerity in Todoroki's eyes.

"But… you're acting like- like your father just _created_ you, like a thing, or a tool."

Todoroki nodded. "That's _exactly_ what it is. He called us experiments. He kept having kids until he got the perfect combination. Half ice, half fire. Two powers to balance each other perfectly, to allow me to surpass even him. All to defeat his greatest rival." Todoroki's fist clenched.

Izuku didn't know what to say. He wanted to be on top, yeah, but he couldn't even imagine wanting it so bad to create _generations_ of suffering the way Endeavor had. That was… more like a villain than a hero.

"My father wants me to be the perfect tool, but fuck him." Todoroki stared at Izuku intently. "Ever since that day, I swore to never use his quirk in battle. I'm going to be the number one hero, but I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me rely on him. You… my battle with you will be a test for whether or not I can truly compare myself to All Might. So I'm going to defeat you, Midoriya, with only my mother's power." Todoroki continued before Izuku could protest. "I know that you understand my burden. I've seen it in you, the weight of a great hero's expectations. All Might plans on you taking his place, doesn't he?" The boy chuckled mirthlessly. "Our fathers' aspirations can be crushing to their sons. Sorry to put all this on you, but I wanted you to understand why I'm going to coming at you so fiercely when we finally fight."

With that, Todoroki turned and began walking away. Izuku didn't know how to respond. He had a million things to say, but one thing hit him before the rest.

"Todoroki!" he called. The other boy looked over his shoulder.

Izuku felt himself trembling a bit, but it wasn't out of fear. "You're wrong." He glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "All Might gave me this power, yes… but using it to try and become the number one hero? That choice was mine, and mine alone." Izuku stared at Todoroki, clenching his fists. "My entire life, I wanted to be a hero like All Might. I wanted to be as amazing as him." He couldn't help but laugh. "Compared to your reasons, it must seem so trivial, and looking back on it, they seem trivial to me as well."

Izuku raised his chin defiantly. "But all that changed after USJ. I realized… I was given an incredible power, something I could use to make the world a better place. For the first time, I understood that the only thing holding me back was myself, that I had the power to do anything as long as I was willing to work hard enough." He scowled. "Maybe All Might does have hopes for me, but I'm not doing this for him, not anymore." Izuku swallowed. "Tsuyu… she gave her life to save mine, so I'm going to use the chance she gave me the best way I can. I'm going to become the greatest hero in the world, to honor her sacrifice. When we fight, I'm going to come at you with all my power. Don't expect me to hold back just because you are."

Once Izuku turned his back on Todoroki and walked away, he realized that he was _angry_. He'd spent nearly his entire life hoping and praying for a quirk, even the weakest one, just so that he'd have a chance to be a hero. More than that, though, Kacchan had infected Izuku with his fiery competitiveness. The thought of Todoroki looking down on him like that… thinking that he could beat Izuku with one hand tied behind his back- it was _insulting_. He turned the corner and jumped a foot in the air when he saw Kacchan leaning against the wall.

"K-K-Kacchan! You… you. Um. Did you hear all of that?"

Kacchan just shrugged, even though his gaze was unusually solemn. "It was nothing I didn't know, except for all of Half-and-half's bullshit."

Izuku hesitated. "But… the stuff before that?"

"Like I said." Kacchan's gaze was steady. "Nothing I didn't know. I'm more concerned about you." He glanced down at Izuku's hands, which apparently were still fisted and trembling.

"Oh," Izuku chuckled. "I'm… I really want to crush him," he admitted.

" _Please_. I don't mind not fighting him if I get to see you wipe the floor with his smug face. Thinking he's so much better than us that he can hold back all the time," grumbled Kacchan.

Izuku nodded but he knew that it was more than that. His emotions were tangled and complicated, and he hadn't had time to parse out exactly what he was feeling. Izuku did know that something about his and Todoroki's exchange really rubbed him the wrong way, though. Kacchan walked beside him silently back towards the arena. They had some food and watched the festivities taking place before the last round. There were tons of games, real ones this time, the kind you'd expect from a normal school sports festival. Nevertheless, Izuku didn't join in. It seemed like no time at all passed before Iida and Hatsume made their way down to the center of the arena.

Their fight was… anticlimactic, to say the least. The display of Hatsume's inventions was pretty interesting at first, but after ten minutes it got kind of routine. She was a good entertainer, but by the time it finished Izuku was feeling jittery for his own match. He was next, after all. Izuku watched from his spot in the tunnel, rolling his eyes when Hatsume finally stepped out of bounds. He was ready for his fight when All Might caught up to him.

"Midoriya, my boy. Are you prepared for your first match?"

Izuku stared at All Might. Somehow he'd managed to forget that he basically confirmed the rumors going on about them. All Might's grin faltered.

"Um. Is everything alright?"

Izuku grimaced. He didn't have time to tell his mentor about it. "I want to make you proud," he began.

All Might's expression softened. "My boy, you already have." There was a tenderness in his gaze and voice that he never directed at anyone else. Izuku could see now why everyone assumed that they were father and son. They would've known that All Might was more than just his teacher even if their quirks weren't so similar.

"I want to make you proud," continued Izuku. "But, this isn't for you. I just. I just wanted you to know that I'm doing this for me, not because I think you want me to." His breath hitched. "It's. I'm going to stand there on my own, and I'm going to win for myself. You and Todo- I mean, you've told me that you put this- this _burden_ on me." Izuku met All Might's eyes. "But that's not how I feel at all. You aren't a burden, All Might. I'm so grateful that you gave me the chance to wield this power. It's my turn now to show you—to show everyone—what I can become, when I do my best."

All Might placed his hands on Izuku's shoulders. "Izuku, nothing would make me happier than seeing you reach your full potential." He smiled down at Izuku like… like he was something precious. "So don't waste a single thought on me. Turn all your focus to what's ahead of you. I don't even care if you win or lose. Just… do your best, and I'll be prouder of you than I've ever been of anyone my whole life."

Izuku nodded, but he couldn't respond before he was called out to his fight. He finally understood why Todoroki had pissed him off so much. There was a difference between being _the_ best and being _your_ best. Todoroki's ice quirk was incredible. Maybe he could even become the number one hero just using it. But… he'd never be as strong as he could be if he used both his quirks. How many villains would escape that he might've captured? How many people would die that he might've saved, if only he weren't crippling himself out of sheer spite? Izuku understood, truly he did, but it still disgusted him.

Therefore, when he reached the stage, he called out. "Tetsutetsu. Please don't hold back at all. I'm going to show you one hundred percent of my power."

Tetsutetsu sneered. "Why would I hold back? I'm going to crush you, just to see the look on your jackass boyfriend's face."

Izuku frowned, but decided to not to protest. He was getting what he wanted after all. Before Present Mic began the match, Izuku searched the crowd until he found Todoroki and met his eyes for a moment. He felt kind of bad for Tetsutetsu, but he wanted to show Todoroki exactly what he was in for.

"Begin!" called Present Mic.

Tetsutetsu turned himself into steel and ran at Izuku. He thought about dodging, but this wasn't just a show for Todoroki. He was here to make a statement, after all. Instead Izuku activated Full Cowl and bolstered himself. Tetsutetsu punched Izuku, throwing his entire body weight behind the blow. Izuku's head turned a few centimeters to the side. The boy's eyes widened. "What the hell? You don't have a hardening quirk!"

Izuku shook his head. "No. I'm just that strong. Sorry."

Tetsutetsu scowled. "So what? I don't care if you're strong. Your punches will feel like tickles to me!"

"You're right," acknowledged Izuku. His defense was far greater than his offense. Nothing less than a smash would phase Tetsutetsu. "That's why I'm glad my first fight is with you. I wouldn't dare to use this attack on anyone else." He slid his right foot back, holding his right palm face-up, level with his hips. His left arm was across his body, hand pressed against his right. He focused his energy into his palms, pushing it against itself and concentrating it.

This move wouldn't work in a real fight. It took a long time to get it right, the energy building until Izuku's arms shook with the effort of holding it back. However, Tetsutetsu was way too hardheaded to retreat. He kept flinging punch after ineffectual punch at Izuku, presumably in an attempt to distract him from his preparations. Once the buildup of power became unbearable, Izuku twisted his body and flung his arms forward, palms smacking into Tetsutetsu's torso. "TOKYO SMASH!"

Tetsutetsu instantly flew backwards at breakneck speeds, until he impacted the stadium wall with a painful sounding 'oomph'. Even at Izuku's strongest, the technique wasn't as powerful as a real smash, but it definitely packed a punch. He could already imagine the whispers being exchanged in the crowd. He hadn't exactly been quiet about screaming 'smash'. He didn't let himself regret it though. Maybe… maybe someone was watching him right now, someone who would decide not to turn to a life of crime, if people like Izuku were going to become heroes.

"Tetsutetsu is out of bounds! The winner of this fight is Midoriya Izuku!" Present Mic announced.

He allowed himself a moment to bask in the crowd's cheers, grinning sunnily at the cameras. Then, he made his way over towards where Tetsutetsu had impacted the wall. As he suspected, the boy appeared to be alright, although he'd definitely need to take a trip to Recovery Girl. He'd done his best to hypothesize about the limits of Tetsutetsu's defense, and make sure to keep the strength of his blow within those levels. Izuku extended a hand to his prone opponent. "No hard feelings, right?" Izuku smiled. "I couldn't hold back at all… I didn't want to disrespect you like that."

Tetsutetsu stared up at him for a moment, before clasping his arm. "Alright, Midoriya. Yeah, you'd've pissed me off more if you danced around, playing games with me. If I had to lose, at least it was in a really cool way."

Grinning, Izuku hoisted Tetsutetsu to his feet, lifting their joined arms in the air above their heads. The crowd loved it. "Such sportsmanship! Truly these young men are a shining example for all would-be-heroes in the audience!" cried Present Mic.

Izuku winked at Tetsutetsu, who rolled his eyes, but eventually smiled back. The medics came over and collected Tetsutetsu from him. "Hey Midoriya!" he called. "I misjudged you. You're alright. I still can't stand that prissy-ass boyfriend of yours, though."

"Ah! H-he's really not like that," Izuku protested shyly. He rubbed the back of his head. "Kacchan's just- he's um."

Tetsutetsu laughed. "So all I have to do to turn you from a cool badass into a stuttering wreck is insult the blonde bastard, huh? I'll remember that for next time."

Izuku ducked his head, embarrassed. Oops. He'd almost convinced someone that he was cool. Drat. Nevertheless, that was one fight down. Grimly, he looked up at the brackets, where both his name and Iida's flashed intimidatingly. He still had a long way to go to get to the top, only next time it wouldn't be a stranger he was flinging his power at, but rather one of his best friends. Izuku had sworn not to hold back… he just hoped that Iida was up to the challenge.

A/N: Yes, Izuku just totally Kamehameha'd Tetsutetsu. Sue me.


	11. Chapter 10

Ch 10

Izuku was feeling pretty pleased about his victory, so he grinned as he passed Sero. "Good luck, man!" he said brightly.

Sero smiled back sheepishly. "Heh. I don't think I stand much of a chance against Todoroki, but I'll give it my best!"

"Definitely!"

Izuku ran back up to the competitors' viewing area, maybe using a touch of One for All's power to make it in time. Strictly speaking he wasn't supposed to use his quirk like that, outside of sanctioned school events, but he really wanted to catch this fight. Izuku's good mood lasted just until the match was called. He stared at the massive wall of ice, which climbed even higher than the stadium walls. Kirishima whistled. "Damn, that was overkill, but it definitely looks manly."

Hm. Well, he'd done something similar in his own battle, showing off his Tokyo Smash, so Izuku couldn't really be mad at Todoroki, even though it was annoying to be showed up like this. He didn't feel too bad though, considering how… _sad_ Todoroki looked at his victory. Even though Izuku was still annoyed at the boy, he did have some sympathy. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a father like Endeavor, even if it came with an unstoppable quirk. Izuku grimaced. That power… it was truly incredible, even only at half strength. Still, it must have a weakness. Even Izuku would have a hard time withstanding a massive attack like that. His best Smash might be able to break through it, but Todoroki's attack came out of nowhere. Izuku wouldn't have time to gather his energy. Izuku bent his head over his notebook, muttering to himself and sketching out notes about his theories on Todoroki's strengths and weaknesses.

"Wow, Deku! You're so intense! I can't believe you're taking notes on everyone; that's so serious," Ochaco said brightly.

Izuku ducked his head, embarrassed. "Ah, no. Um. Actually I just do this all the time. It's… kind of my thing."

"Deku's a total freaking nerd about heroes and quirks and shit like that," confirmed Kacchan. "He's got, like, fifteen of those notebooks at home, filled from cover to cover."

"It's only fourteen," mumbled Izuku. "I started a new series."

Grinning, Kacchan snatched the notebook from Izuku's hands. "H-hey! Kacchan!" he cried, indignant.

"What's this new series then? 'Hero Notes for the Present: Vol 1'?" Kacchan smiled at him before handing it back. "You're ridiculous, you know that right?"

Izuku scowled (it definitely wasn't a pout). "They're important observations!"

Ochaco giggled. She put a hand in front of her mouth when Deku turned his betrayed gaze to her. "Oh, um. It's just that… er, that's a really cute habit," Ochaco said apologetically.

"It's- it's not _cute_. It's manly and cool, right Kirishima?" asked Izuku desperately.

Kirishima tapped his lips thoughtfully. "Well bro, my first instinct was to go with 'cute'." Izuku deflated. "But according to the Crimson Riot, a manly attitude is all about being dedicated and living without regret! Filling up fifteen notebooks is pretty dedicated, so I guess it's manly too!"

Izuku grinned brightly. "Thanks Kirishima!" All the sudden he realized- "Wait a minute, Ochaco. Aren't you supposed to be fighting next?"

She pointed to the stadium. "They're going to have to get rid of all that ice, first."

"O-oh. Right." Izuku hummed. "Well, you're facing Kendo from class 1B, right? From what I saw of the knockout rounds, she's got a basic gigantification quirk. She's probably a hand-to-hand fighter then, which has its pros and cons for you. She'll have to get in close range which will give you an opportunity to use your quirk. One touch and she's out for the count. Except, your strength isn't really in hand-to-hand so I guess that you'll have to be careful not to be knocked out before you can-"

"Deku!" Ochaco interrupted his mumbling. "I appreciate your help, really. But…" Her lips twisted wryly. "I feel like you've already carried me far enough today. It's time for me to stand on my own."

Izuku wanted to protest that she'd been a vital part of their cavalry team, but hadn't he just said something similar to All Might? Instead, he nodded solemnly. "Okay. That's fair. Good luck, then. I'll be cheering for you!"

After Ochaco went downstairs to enter the arena, Kacchan leaned a shoulder against him. "So that was a pretty strong attack," he said neutrally. "I'm glad you showed that steel asshole who's boss."

"There's no need to be mean, Kacchan," said Izuku sheepishly. "Tetsutetsu's nice when you get to know him."

"And of course you managed to 'get to know him' in your two minute fight," scoffed Kacchan, but it kind of sounded fond.

Ochaco's match began before Izuku could respond. She immediately ran forward, trying to close in on Kendo. However, Kendo was prepared, gigantifying her fists and slamming them down towards Ochaco. Their classmate was able to dodge the majority of the blow, but still got clipped on the arm. Izuku winced. That had to have been painful. Kendo's blows were strong enough to leave shattered indents on the concrete.

Oh! Izuku could see it now. What a smart strategy! Ochaco kept running towards her opponent, but kept her body low to the ground each time. For Kendo it probably felt natural to aim her attacks downwards rather than try to sweep her hands along the ground; however, in doing so, she was fracturing off pieces of rubble. Ochaco was crafty, tapping a few chunks and then immediately running off in another direction to keep Kendo distracted.

"This is pointless," Kendo said. "You're not going to beat me in a game of endurance. I can already see you wearing down. Just give up."

Ochaco was panting, but she shook her head. "You've missed the point entirely. Look up." Ochaco made the hand motion that would reverse her quirk, and various pieces of rubble began falling down on Kendo. The girl cursed and covered her body with her hands, but Ochaco used that opportunity to run in close and tap her, causing her to slowly float into the air.

"Forfeit please, before you get so high that the fall will really hurt you."

"I-I forfeit," stuttered Kendo, sounding a bit panicked at how fast she was ascending. Ochaco let her down before she floated too high, though.

"And the winner of this battle is Uraraka Ochaco, from class 1A! Wow Eraserhead! Four straight victories from class 1A. What are you teaching these kids?"

"It's not my teaching," mumbled Mr. Aizawa. "They're just exceptional."

Izuku felt himself glow at the compliment.

"Well, let's see if Kaminari can keep up the streak in his match against the only General Education student, Shinsou Hitoshi!"

"Hey, does Kaminari know about Shinsou's quirk?" frowned Izuku.

"Yeah," replied Kirishima. "He was telling me about it earlier. Apparently Ojiro warned him, since he was on that Shinsou guy's cavalry team. Something about how he brainwashes you if you answer his questions."

"Oh of course," mumbled Izuku, turning back to his notebook. "Well, I was right that it was related to auditory stimulation, but why a response specifically? Hm. His quirk must override some sort of consciousness mechanism in its targets' brains. Maybe responding to him activates that part, and allows his quirk to take hold? Or maybe it implies some sort of consent?"

He was so busy with his notes that he almost missed the match entirely. Shinsou entered the ring confidently, chattering to Kaminari the whole time. Izuku couldn't hear what was said, but judging by the look on his classmate's face, it was nothing complimentary. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his cool, running towards Shinsou as soon as Present Mic began the match. For a while, Kaminari kept Shinsou on his heels, forcing the Gen Ed student to weave and dodge, even scoring a few painful looking shocks.

"Hm, Shinsou's quirk is really powerful, but it's not very effective against people who know to expect it," observed Izuku.

Just then, it appeared that Shinsou managed to finally goad Kaminari into talking back, because he opened his mouth and almost immediately froze. Shinsou visibly breathed a sigh of relief, before smirking and saying something quietly. Kaminari turned and walked out of the arena. As soon as he stepped out of bounds, he shook himself and seemed to come back to his senses.

"Damn it!" Kaminari cried. Scowling, he stalked out of the arena as Present Mic announced Shinsou the winner. Izuku winced; that must be a terrible way to lose.

"What did I miss!" Ochaco said brightly as she got back to their spot in the stands.

"Freaky Gen Ed kid just beat Drooly," grunted Kacchan.

"What? Really? And our class was doing so well, too!"

"Kaminari was too hotheaded," scolded Yaoyorozu. "Shinsou's quirk isn't very useful on a forewarned opponent, unless said opponent is an impulsive teenage boy."

Izuku glanced at Kacchan. He knew better than to say it, but he was worried. Kacchan might go up against Shinsou, and- well, staying calm and collected wasn't really his strength. Izuku supposed that was a worry for another time.

"Don't be so mean, Yaoyorozu," scolded Ochaco. "I'm sure that Kaminari tried his best! We should be encouraging when he gets back up here."

"Ah, you're right," admitted Yaoyorozu sheepishly. "It wouldn't be very sportsmanlike of me to kick him when he's down." She paused, before smirking slyly. "I'm just trying to strategize for when I have to fight him."

Kacchan scoffed. "As if you'd get past me."

"Hey!" protested Kirishima. " _Neither_ of you are beating me, so hush!"

"Yeah right," Kacchan said derisively.

"Guys, don't fight," said Izuku shyly, but it was too quiet to be heard over their arguing. Rolling his eyes, Izuku turned his attention back to the stadium. Tokoyami was up next, and Izuku was curious to see how he did. Dark Shadow was an amazing ability, and Tokoyami had been Izuku's second choice for his cavalry battle team if Kacchan had refused. He was curious to see more of the bird-headed boy's capabilities.

When Present Mic announced that the match was starting, Dark Shadow immediately appeared from Tokoyami's body, shooting out towards Tsuburaba. However, Tsuburaba blew air out of his mouth that solidified in front of him to form a shield. Dark Shadow impacted with the solid air and flinched back. Izuku stared down at the being, fascinated. Tokoyami's quirk acted like an entirely individual entity; it had facial expressions and apparently could feel at least a facsimile of pain. He'd heard of companion quirks, of course, but he'd never seen one in real life. It also shared some characteristics with a real shadow too, like flinching away from light and always being attached to Tokoyami. What an interesting ability.

While Tsuburaba was able to keep Dark Shadow at bay for a little while, ultimately he wasn't fast enough. Izuku could tell that his ability was a multi-step process: blow out air, shape it, then solidify it. Meanwhile Dark Shadow was extremely fast and versatile. Eventually Tokoyami had it slip past one of Tsuburaba's constructions and hit the boy from Class 1B. Tsuburaba wasn't immediately knocked out of bounds, but he _was_ off balance. Once Dark Shadow was in his face, he never recovered. Tokoyami slowly but surely corralled Tsuburaba out of bounds, and the match was called in his favor.

"Wow I didn't realize that Tokoyami was so cool," said Kirishima. "Heh. I'll just have to be manly like him and defeat my opponent too."

"Tsch," Kacchan scoffed, but didn't reply as they got up.

"Um, Kacchan. Good luck," Izuku said brightly.

Kacchan glanced at him, and then smirked. "You know what, Deku? After you and Todoroki pulled those stunts in your matches, I think I have to do something cool to remind the crowd just who's the best, here." Without another word, Kacchan ran forward and leapt over the railing in front of them, using his explosions to glide down to the arena.

"Damn it!" cursed Kirishima. "That was unbelievably manly! Argh, just who does he think he is?" Kirishima ran after Kacchan, apparently hardening himself enough to absorb the shock of his landing before stalking over towards his spot in the arena.

"Wow!" cried Present Mic. "Kirishima Eijiro and Bakugou Katsuki from Class 1A are starting things out with a bang—no pun intended! These kids are really something special! Well, tell you what. These two look like they're raring to go, so with no further ado, let the match between the rock solid Kirishima and the explosive Bakugou… BEGIN!"

Even though it didn't appear that way at first, Izuku knew that the match was fairly one-sided. Kirishima had Kacchan on his heels to start with, but Izuku could tell that Kacchan was holding back, getting a good gauge of the redhead's strength. People tended to underestimate Kacchan's intelligence and analytical skills due to his boisterous personality. However, they didn't realize just how much thought Kacchan put into using his quirk. It had always amazed Izuku that no one ever wondered why a child with the ability to create explosions from his body never caused anyone serious injury. Kacchan's blasts weren't just showy, they could be extremely dangerous if he wasn't careful, and so he always forced himself to know exactly where that line was from person to person.

Izuku could see that dynamic was playing out in this match as well. His first hit didn't injure Kirishima at all, even though it burned through his clothes, but the second counterattack made Kirishima cringe. After that, the fight was over fairly quickly. Kacchan unleashed a barrage of attacks, each one likely calibrated precisely to cause enough damage for Kirishima to feel it, but not enough to actually hurt him. Izuku knew he was right once Midnight called the match for Kacchan. The blonde went over to Kirishima and kicked him in the ribs. Kirishima groaned and rolled over onto his knees, eventually getting to his feet under his own power, waving off the medics that had raced out to get him.

When Kacchan returned to his seat next to Izuku, he looked somewhat suspicious at the smile that Izuku was directing at him. "What?" he asked.

Izuku looked away. "Nothing… I was just admiring your self-control."

"Don't be so weird, Deku," muttered Kacchan, but he was blushing.

Izuku thought that Yaoyorozu's fight against Shiozaki would be a good match. His classmate's Creation quirk was incredible, and extremely versatile, while Shiozaki's vines were pretty useful as well. However, the match ended up being kind of anticlimactic, although certainly interesting from an analytical point of view. Shiozaki immediately wrapped Yaoyorozu up in her vines, only to scream and flinch backwards. The ends of her hair that had come into contact with Yaoyorozu were shriveled and cracked. Yaoyorozu said something to Shiozaki quietly, and Shiozaki stared at her for a moment before forfeiting.

"Wow! Well, I'm not sure exactly what happened, but whatever Yaoyorozu did was incredible. That's to be expected from someone who was admitted to Yuuei on recommendation. That wraps up the first round of the tournament. How do you feel knowing that seven of the remaining competitors are your students, Aizawa?" asked Eraserhead.

"Hm."

The crowd waited for the rest of Mr. Aizawa's response, but before long it became clear that nothing else was forthcoming.

Izuku chuckled as he made his way down to the arena. He ran into Yaoyorozu who was on her way back up. "Hey! Congratulations! Um, what exactly did you do?" asked Izuku.

"Oh that? I'd memorized the chemical compositions of a few different herbicides, so once she had me wrapped up in her vines I just started pumping them out. I told her that unless she wanted me to make a water gun full of the stuff, she should forfeit." Yaoyorozu shrugged.

Izuku was wide eyed in admiration. "Wow! That's awesome Yaoyorozu! Your quirk is so cool."

"Thanks, Midoriya," smiled Yaoyorozu. "Honestly, I was a bit inspired by you actually."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you and Bakugou. Seeing how competitive you guys are… it made me remember why I decided to become a hero."

"Do you… do you mind telling me?" Izuku asked tentatively. It kind of seemed like she wanted to tell him, but it was a bit of a personal question and they didn't have that sort of relationship.

Luckily, Yaoyorozu smiled. "It's nothing terribly impressive. Actually, in some ways it kind of makes me sound like spoiled." Her lips twisted wryly. "I'm sure you've guessed by now, but… my family is extremely wealthy. With our Creation quirk, we can make all sorts of precious metals and gems with ease. Of course, that's illegal now, but before the laws about quirks had caught up to the reality of them, my grandfather made the kind of money that set us up for generations."

She ducked her head. "No one in my family has ever been a hero. My parents have lived in luxury since birth, and I was expected to follow in that path. Why should a Yaoyorozu ever put her life in danger on the front lines? We pay people to do that for us." Yaoyorozu grimaced. "I was supposed to be quiet and marry a suitable man, have a couple babies and raise them to do the exact same thing. It just seemed so… wasteful. I wanted to do something to _earn_ my keep, not just have it handed to me. My family's quirk is so incredible, and they only ever used it for profit. I wanted to do something that mattered."

Yaoyorozu looked at him. "I thought that when I was admitted to Yuuei on a recommendation, that I'd finally proved my worth. It wasn't until I met you and Bakugou that I realized how wrong I was. I'm not better than you two, not substantially enough to merit getting into Yuuei on that alone." She chuckled mirthlessly. "The only thing that separates us is how much money is in our bank accounts. In hindsight, it's obvious that my recommendation to Yuuei was bought and paid for by my father."

Izuku bit his lip. "That's not fair, Yaoyorozu. You're incredible. You beat us in the cavalry battle!"

"I got lucky in the cavalry battle," corrected Yaoyorozu. "If I hadn't been in the right place at the right time, then who knows? But that's not the point." She shook her head. "I'm not trying to be down on myself. What I'm trying to say is… This competition is my chance to show everyone that I belong here at Yuuei. I can show my father that I don't need his money to be great, that I'll become a fantastic hero regardless of my family name. So thanks, Midoriya, for showing me how far I still have to go."

Izuku stared at Yaoyorozu. He… he had inspired her? Izuku tried to come to terms with the fact that one of the coolest people in their class looked up to him.

Yaoyorozu misinterpreted his silence. "Sorry, I must sound so ridiculous. Poor rich girl, complaining about how hard it is to have so much money, right?"

Izuku shook his head firmly. "I don't think that at all. Everyone has their reasons for wanting to become a hero. I've heard quite a few of them, and even though yours isn't the most tragic or anything like that… I still think it's kind of noble. You're choosing to use your quirk to help people, even when you don't have to. Isn't that the definition of a hero?"

Yaoyorozu gawked at him for a moment, uncharacteristically unpoised. "That's…" She swallowed and composed herself. "Thanks, Midoriya. And good luck in your match." Yaoyorozu smiled at him one more time before continuing back up into the stands.

Right, Izuku had a fight to win. When he made his way out of the tunnel and onto the combat platform, he was met by an equally-seriously looking Iida.

"Midoriya," Iida said. "I didn't get a chance to say this before, so before we start I'd like to tell you something."

"What is it?" asked Izuku cautiously.

"You've been a wonderful friend to me, and I appreciate it. However, I cannot continue to stand in your shadow. I'm going to fight you with everything I have in order to make my brother proud. I suppose what I'm trying to say is… it's not just Todoroki who views you as a rival."

Izuku inhaled sharply. "Okay," he said after a moment. "I respect that Iida. Please know that I won't be holding back either."

Iida nodded.

"Now then!" cried Present Mic. "We're about to kick off the quarter finals. We're going to begin with a battle between Iida Tenya, from the prestigious Ingenium family line, and Midoriya Izuku, whom I sure you all recognize by now. This is sure to be an exciting match! Now then, if our competitors are ready? Okay… START!"

Iida immediately closed the distance between them. Izuku braced his arms in front of himself and absorbed the impact. It wasn't until he skidded backwards a meter that he understood Iida's plan. "That's not going to work," gritted Izuku. He kicked the ground behind him, using a small shockwave to drive his foot _into_ the concrete, stopping Iida from pushing him out of bounds.

Izuku fell forwards though as Iida instantly disengaged. He tried to collect energy into the palm of his hand to prepare a smash, but Iida grabbed his arm and yanked him forward, pulling him towards a different boundary line.

"I watched your fight with Tetsutetsu," Iida said. "You need time to prepare your most powerful attacks. I won't let you!"

Apparently, Iida had also observed Tetsutetsu's futile attempts to injure Izuku as well, because he never once bothered to kick at Izuku, instead pulling or pushing him towards the perimeter of the platform, changing directions occasionally. It was a good strategy to make the most of an unideal situation. Izuku was a poor matchup for Iida. Although Iida was faster than him, it wasn't by a very large margin—at least without accounting for Iida's Recipro burst. That nullified Iida's greatest skill, and unlike Izuku he didn't have enhanced strength to account for it. Iida couldn't allow him to get his bearings or else he'd surely lose.

Izuku clenched his jaw. The problem with Iida's plan, though, was that it put the two of them in close range. He waited until Iida got behind him, pushing him by the shoulders, before he grabbed Iida's hands and swung the boy over his head. Izuku immediately backpedaled, holding his arms out to either side of himself in preparation for a smash.

Iida leapt to his feet and the flames from his engines turned blue. Immediately, Izuku crouched low and jumped into the air as high as he could, propelled by shockwaves from his feet. Iida gaped up at him, but his engine exhaust remained blue. As Izuku had suspected, once Iida activated his Recipro burst, he couldn't turn it off until it ran out of time. Izuku figured that Iida would resort to his special technique to keep him from preparing a smash, which was why he'd actually focused his energy to his feet this whole time.

As Izuku fell back towards the ground, he channeled his power to his hands. His stunt had bought himself just enough time. "Smash!" he called, waving his hand across his body. Like in the cavalry battle, it created a whirlwind that crashed into his opponent. Iida's Recipro burst was powerful enough that he was able to stay standing, bracing himself against the gale, but he couldn't move forward. Izuku landed on the ground in a crouch. Just as the first wind was dying down, he used the same attack with his second hand. Alright. He wouldn't have enough time to prepare another smash in his palms before the winds died down. Izuku had to hope that he'd been counting correctly.

Iida sprinted towards him the moment that Izuku's winds died down. He must be running on fumes now. Izuku just had to wait… At the last possible moment, Izuku activated the shockwave that he'd been storing in the soles of his feet, springing to the side just in time. Iida skidded, trying to stop himself, but his engines were shot. He couldn't keep himself from sliding out of bounds.

"Iida is out of bounds! The winner is Midoriya!" called Midnight.

Iida bowed his head. "You… you were counting how long I'd had my Recipro burst activated. Your smashes kept me still for just long enough that you knew I'd be forced to come at you with an attack of desperation. I didn't notice, but you must've intentionally landed near the boundary line, knowing that my time would run out as you dodged."

"It… it was a hunch," Izuku said. "If I'd been wrong, you might've won."

Iida shook his head. "No. It was a flawless plan, and I played into it every step of the way. You outclassed me not only in skill, but also in judgement."

Izuku swallowed, but he couldn't deny it. Before he could be too worried about their friendship, Iida turned around and gave him a strained smile. "I must admit that I'm disappointed by my loss, but I feel no shame that it was to you. I guess… I'll just have to keep working harder and harder until I can stand level with you."

"I…" Izuku wasn't entirely sure how to respond, but then he remembered saying something similar to Kacchan after their battle trial. He recalled the blonde's reply. "I'll look forward to it, Iida." Izuku smiled at his friend.

Iida's answering smile was a lot more genuine than it had been initially. "Don't get complacent, Midoriya. If you stop moving for even an instant, those of us behind you will be ready to take your place."

Izuku swallowed. Was this what it felt like to be at the top? His eyes found the leader board, where his name sat, waiting for Todoroki's to catch up. No. He still had a long way to go before he could say he was the best, but… Izuku felt a grin growing on his face. Even though there were three more matches left in between, he was couldn't wait for his next battle.

A/N: Hm? Did Izuku immediately dismiss the possibility of Uraraka beating Todoroki, in the last paragraph there? Yeah, it felt a little out of character for him, but that line was too good to pass up.


	12. Chapter 11

Ch 11

Like after his first fight, Izuku rushed back upstairs to the spectator's area, not wanting to miss the next match. He was kind of nervous though. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Ochaco, but she was at a serious disadvantage in this setting. Her quirk wasn't nearly as useful in an arena battle like this, with nothing for her to float. She had very limited options against someone like Todoroki who could keep her at long range.

The match began just as Izuku reached his seat. His classmates congratulated him for his victory, and Izuku thanked them distractedly, trying to keep his eyes on the arena. Todoroki and Ochaco weren't wasting any time. As soon as Present Mic announced the start, Ochaco sprinted full speed towards the boy. Todoroki responded by sending ice spiking out in a tall line towards her. To Izuku's surprise, Ochaco didn't dodge to the side. Instead, she jumped upwards, tapping herself on the arm as she did so.

The crowd gasped as Ochaco floated through the air. Rather than fly straight up, her momentum took her forward, feet just clearing Todoroki's attack. Before she got too high, Ochaco put her hands together, reversing her ability. Overall, the move was essentially like a super powered jump, getting her over Todoroki's ice and into close range.

Clearly the boy was caught off guard, because rather than counterattack, he made a large shield of ice in front of himself. Izuku frowned. There was no way that Ochaco could break through that. However, without missing a beat, Ochaco spun back around towards the remains of Todoroki's first attack and performed a beautiful side-kick, shattering it into large chunks which she then tapped and floated into the air. She was able to do that a couple more times before Todoroki caught on to her strategy and sent another attack towards her.

This time, Ochaco used her quirk to jump backwards. When she returned gravity to herself, the pieces of ice that were floating in the air fell, forcing Todoroki to shield himself with ice again. When her projectiles hit the ground, they shattered even more of the ice, creating extra rubble. Also, as soon as the boy was distracted, Ochaco continued breaking and floating the remains of Todoroki's attack.

"Oh I see," said Iida. "She's warping the environment to suit her favor."

"How clever. Uraraka's using Todoroki's quirk against him," said Yaoyorozu.

She was right. Before long, Ochaco and Todoroki were at a sort of stalemate. The air above the arena was full of floating chunks of ice. Every time Todoroki sent an attack towards Ochaco, he just made more ammunition for her to use against him. However, even Ochaco's best attacks weren't enough to penetrate Todoroki's defenses. Izuku was just starting to wonder how the two would proceed when Ochaco stiffened. Ice gradually crept up her body until she was encased up to her neck.

"What the hell?" asked Kirishima.

"Dang," cursed Izuku. "He tricked us."

"Huh? I don't get it," said Kaminari.

"Todoroki wasn't just sitting back and hiding behind those ice shields. Look at the pattern of the rubble."

It took them a moment, but eventually they saw what Izuku had noticed. "Oh. Wow," whistled Kirishima, impressed.

With their bird's eye view of the stadium, they could see that Todoroki's attacks hadn't been random at all. There were lines of ice snaking through the rubble, forming paths towards Ochaco. Her goal had been to make piles of ice for her to use, but in doing so she'd created multiple blind spots that Todoroki had exploited. A few lines of frost converged on her location.

"While he distracted Uraraka with large, showy attacks, the real threat was small and subtle," observed Yaoyorozu. "Todoroki is rather impressive."

"What a match!" enthused Present Mic. "Uraraka put up a fierce performance but it turns out that Todoroki was too much for her. I suppose greatness is to be expected from the son of an incredible hero like Endeavor!"

Izuku winced at the carefully blank look on Todoroki's face. He was irritated at the boy but he still understood why Todoroki wouldn't want to be associated with his father.

"Well, there will be a slight delay again as the arena is cleared off and repaired." Present Mic chuckled. "But after that look forward to watching the only contestant not from the heroics course- indeed, the only competitor not from class 1A. Shinsou Hitoshi will face off against the powerful and mysterious Tokoyami Fumikage!"

"Hm, that doesn't sound good for Shinsou," mused Ashido. "He's got to get people to reply to him for his quirk to work, right?" She giggled. "Well Tokoyami is one of the quietest boys in our class."

"Yeah," drawled Yaoyorozu. "Looks like I'll be facing Tokoyami in the semifinals." She smirked in Kacchan's direction.

"As if," scowled Kacchan. "I'm going to crush you like a bug."

"Hey, hey," Kaminari placated. "Save the trash talk for the arena. Don't distract me from seeing that Shinsou asshole get butchered."

"Sounds like someone's bitter about losing," teased Kirishima.

Kaminari scowled. "I wouldn't mind losing, if it wasn't to a massive dick like Shinsou. Ojiro warned me about his quirk you know? How do you think he got me to open my mouth?"

"Did he insult your drooly face or something? sneered Kacchan.

Kaminari rolled his eyes. "The fact that I tolerate you, Bakugou, should say something about him." Kaminari paused, scowling down at the arena. "He threw every insult at me, including stuff that was way below the belt. And then when he won he was so fucking smug, like "you guys in the heroics course think you're so great" blah blah." Kaminari scoffed. "Shinsou's the kind of guy who only cares about winning, no matter the cost."

"Wow. That's..." Izuku didn't really know what to call it. This was coming from the kid who'd called Kacchan's personality "crap, mixed with flaming garbage" with a grin on his face. He'd never heard Kaminari sound so ruffled. Shinsou must've seriously gotten under his skin.

"Okay! Now that the stage is all set, let's get this battle underway. I already introduced them to you earlier, so without further ado, let the match between Shinsou and Tokoyami… BEGIN!"

Shinsou immediately started talking to Tokoyami, although Izuku couldn't hear what was said from his spot in the stands. For some reason, Tokoyami… _replied_. His body became lax, and he turned around towards the edge of the arena.

"Oh no!" cried Hagakure. Izuku jumped; he hadn't realized that she was there. "Did no one warn him about Shinsou's quirk?"

"No! I definitely did," Kaminari protested.

"Yeah, I told him everything I know," agreed Ojiro tensely.

To their surprise, before Tokoyami could take more than a couple steps, Dark Shadow emerged from his body and shook his shoulders. The bird-headed boy snapped out of his hypnosis and turned back to Shinsou.

"Huh? What was that?" Kirishima wondered.

"Shinsou's grasp on people is pretty fragile," mused Izuku. "A strong jolt probably frees his victims."

"Yeah!" crowed Ojiro. "I didn't tell you guys. In the cavalry battle, I first came to when someone bumped my shoulder."

"And since Dark Shadow is a companion quirk, he has a mind of his own. Brainwashing Tokoyami isn't enough to win the match," Izuku continued enthusiastically.

He and his classmates watched as Shinsou repeatedly tried to brainwash Tokoyami, only for the same pattern to repeat over and over again. Each time Tokoyami broke free of Shinsou's quirk, he stepped closer to his opponent, prompting Shinsou to retreat.

Just then, Ochaco sprinted into their spectator box, huffing. "What… what'd I miss?"

"It turns out that Shinsou's quirk only affects Tokoyami, and not Dark Shadow," Kaminari replied eagerly.

"Yes!" Ochaco cheered. "Go Tokoyami!" Down in the arena, Tokoyami's shoulders hunched up slightly, but he gave them a tiny wave. "Why isn't he finishing him off?"

"Tokoyami's driving Shinsou towards the boundary line," explained Izuku. "He probably doesn't want to hurt Shinsou, so he's just going to wait until Dark Shadow only has to give him one good push."

Shinsou seemed to realize the same thing, because in a fit of desperation, he ran at Tokoyami. Dark Shadow intercepted him, blocking each of his punches. He wasn't even trying to brainwash their classmate anymore.

"Hah. This is great," Kaminari grinned. "In a fair fight, he doesn't stand a chance against Tokoyami, let alone Dark Shadow. You see how weedy Shinsou is?"

Izuku frowned. While he agreed with Kaminari's assessment, his instincts told him something was off. It wasn't until he looked closer that he noticed it. Shinsou wasn't trying to talk to Tokoyami anymore, but he _did_ seem to be saying something to Dark Shadow. "No way, is it even possible?" Izuku muttered. Kacchan glanced at him, eyebrow raised. Their other classmates weren't paying him any attention, but Kacchan knew to trust Izuku's assessment of things like this.

"Oh no," sighed Izuku, right before it happened. Iida and Ochaco glanced at him right as Dark Shadow stopped moving.

"Why's Tokoyami giving him a break?" asked Kirishima, confused.

"Shinsou got Dark Shadow," Izuku explained glumly. He was sad for his classmate, even though he was equally fascinated by Shinsou's amazing quirk.

"What? No way! Dark Shadow can't talk!" Kaminari protested.

"Yeah he can," Sero grimaced. "I heard him in the cavalry battle. Tokoyami was on our team and when he tells Dark Shadow to do something, Dark Shadow says 'okay' or something like that."

"Damn it!" wailed Kaminari.

Down in the arena, Shinsou confirmed Izuku's hunch when he smirked and apparently ordered Dark Shadow to turn against Tokoyami. Dark Shadow wrapped himself around Tokoyami's body like a cloak, and held him still while Shinsou ran at him. Maybe Tokoyami could've fought off one or the other, but both at the same time was too much for him. Izuku and his classmates watched grimly as Shinsou manhandled Tokoyami out of the ring.

"Wow, wow, wow! I can't believe it! The winner of this battle—advancing on to the semifinals—is Shinsou Hitoshi from the General Education department!"

"Tch," scoffed Kacchan. "Bird Boy got arrogant. Creepy Fucker only knew what to do because he had Dark-whatever snap him out of the brainwashing so many times. If he'd gone all out from the start, it would've been an instant win."

Izuku winced at the gruff assessment, but couldn't deny it. Shinsou probably wouldn't have guessed that Dark Shadow had an independent mind that he could manipulate if Tokoyami hadn't demonstrated it for him so clearly. Tokoyami probably could've had Dark Shadow pick Shinsou up and throw him out of the arena from the very start. Actually, why hadn't he? Tokoyami was a lot of things, but Izuku wouldn't peg him as arrogant.

"Unless…"

"What was that, Deku?" asked Ochaco.

"Oh! I was just thinking- what if Tokoyami knew that would happen?"

"Of course!" Iida exclaimed. "He must know Dark Shadow's capabilities much better than any of us. The whole time, he was careful not to allow Shinsou to get close to Dark Shadow, backing him up so that he'd only have to use his quirk quickly at the end to push Shinsou out of bounds."

"That makes sense," said Ashido. "Maybe Dark Shadow isn't smart enough to know not to respond to Shinsou, or too stubborn to listen if Tokoyami told him so."

"And that's why Tokoyami intentionally let himself be trapped in Shinsou's quirk," mused Izuku. "He was trying to scare Shinsou, either to back him up to the edge of the arena or maybe to make him forfeit."

"Either way," said Kacchan. "I won't make the same mistake in my fight with him!" The blonde threw himself over the railing with a grin, rocketing down to the ground again.

"Good luck, Kacchan!" Izuku called afterwards, shooting an apologetic glance towards Yaoyorozu afterwards.

"Damn it," muttered Yaoyorozu. "Now I have to do that too."

She created a parachute from the skin on her stomach, before jumping after Kacchan and floating to the ground.

"What an entrance!" Present Mic cried enthusiastically. "Of course you saw it last time from Bakugou, but we didn't get a chance to see Yaoyorozu's quirk in action. Maybe this battle will be a better show!"

Izuku looked over at Ochaco. He hadn't gotten a chance to ask, since she came up right during Tokoyami's match. "Um. Ochaco. I just wanted to… uh, I was wondering-"

"You must want to ask if I'm okay after losing my fight," Ochaco said brightly. "No worries, Deku! I wished that I could've won, but against someone like Todoroki it was silly to think that I had a chance. Hah."

Izuku wanted to protest, hearing the hint of strain in Ochaco's voice, but he wasn't really sure how. He didn't want to embarrass her after all. "Uh. You did really good, you know? I never would've thought of that strategy, throwing yourself forward like that to distract Todoroki. And since when can you kick so hard?"

Ochaco smile looked a bit more genuine. "Oh, that. I grew up at construction sites, after all. I'm a lot tougher than I appear."

"R-right. I'll remember that," chuckled Izuku.

"Thanks for looking out for me Deku," Ochaco said appreciatively. "But I'm fine. Let's pay attention; it looks like the match is about to start."

Kacchan and Yaoyorozu took their place across from each other on the stage. "Alright then, if our combatants are ready? Let's… START!"

Kacchan immediately rocketed himself forward. He knew better than to give Yaoyorozu time to create objects at her leisure. Yaoyorozu was able to make a metal shield to block his attacks, turning her body towards the center of the stage so that he couldn't drive her out of bounds. Nevertheless, it was clear that Kacchan had the advantage. Yaoyorozu's quirk was limited by the time it took to make an object, as well as the complexity of them. In the middle of combat, she could only make simple things. Kacchan blasted her shield out of her hands, but she was quickly made another one.

"Hey what are those?" asked Ochaco, pointing to the ground behind Yaoyorozu.

"They're… Matryoshka dolls," Ashido replied. "My grandma bought me a set once."

"Those are the kinds that have dolls inside that keep getting smaller and smaller, right?" asked Hagakure. Izuku jumped again. When Hagakure was quiet, it was really hard to remember that she was sitting with them.

"But what's she doing that for?" asked Kirishima.

"Wait," mused Izuku. "Those things are supposed to be hollow, ri-"

Izuku was cut off by a blinding flash of light. It took him a few blinks to clear the spots from his eyes. Once he could see again, he looked down at the arena. Yaoyorozu was holding… "A fire extinguisher?" Izuku wondered, right before she sprayed Kacchan with it. Izuku could imagine Kacchan's sputtered, indignant response. He winced. Kacchan's quirk worked by exploding his sweat. Not only would cooling him off make him produce less sweat, but the foam was probably also designed to make the nitroglycerin inert. Kacchan was at an immediate disadvantage.

Cursing, Kacchan retreated backwards, managing to just barely dodge the weighted net that Yaoyorozu tossed after him. He was desperately trying to wipe his palms off on his back, which was largely dry. Surprisingly, Yaoyorozu let him retreat, instead taking the time to make a canon of some sort. She fired it, the shot aimed above Kacchan's head. When it exploded, it released more of the extinguisher foam, thoroughly soaking the blonde in it.

"What the hell, you crazy hag!" Kacchan yelled loudly enough for Izuku to hear it in the stands. "Fuck you!"

Yaoyorozu ran towards him, creating a long metal staff. Kacchan was forced to duck and roll around her expert swings. Izuku noticed that she'd been careful to choose a weapon with enough range to keep Kacchan at a slight distance, so that he couldn't use his superior physical strength against her. She'd also refrained from cluttering the field with her creations. Other than the net and the staff, she'd only made things to spray Kacchan down. Since the Matryoshka dolls had exploded, he couldn't pick anything up and use it against her.

Even though Kacchan was being herded towards the edge of the arena, he didn't look worried. Maybe some else might think so, given the blonde's copious cursing, but Izuku recognized Kacchan's focused expression. He had a plan of some sort, Izuku could tell. And whatever it was, it'd be soon.

Just as Izuku suspected, the next time Yaoyorozu swung her staff, Kacchan stepped closer to her rather than away. He grunted as it impacted his shoulder, but it shouldn't have hurt as much as it would've had it hit him at its tip. Yaoyorozu began making something else; she probably had a plan for what to do when Kacchan managed to get into close range. However, she—like everyone else in the audience—was surprised when Kacchan pulled her towards him, falling onto his back and rolling. He planted his feet into Yaoyorozu's stomach, and once he'd rolled onto his shoulders, kicked outwards. Small explosions ripped through the soles of his shoes, propelling her through the air until she fell to the ground out of bounds.

"Yaoyorozu is out of bounds! Bakugou wins this match and advances to the semifinals!"

"Hah! Everyone always forgets about Kacchan's feet," grinned Izuku proudly.

"Including you during the battle trial, Midoriya," teased Kaminari.

"O-oh, right."

"Still, Bakugou kept that in reserve until the moment he could use it best," mused Sero. "He had one shot and waited for his chance. It doesn't seem like the hothead we all know."

"He's a lot cleverer than he wants you to think," Izuku smiled.

"Okay Midoriya, we get it." Kirishima rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend is the coolest blah blah blah. Don't you have a fight to get to?"

"Oh right!" Izuku jumped up and jogged out of their seating area and down the stairs. He figured that he had a little bit before they cleaned up the stadium, so he didn't need to take the expedited route that Kacchan and Yaoyorozu had. On the way, he ran into Kacchan.

"Great job!" Izuku cried. He was about to throw his arms around Kacchan, but saw that the boy was still covered in congealing goop and thought better of it.

Seeing his hesitation, Kacchan scowled. "I have to wash all of this crap off, so you'd better not start the next match until I'm back up in the stands."

"Uh, I don't know if it's my choice, Kacchan," said Izuku sheepishly.

"Hmph."

Despite his words, Kacchan didn't move towards the locker rooms, instead gazing at Izuku intently.

"Um. Did you have something to say, Kacchan?"

The blonde kicked a foot against the ground. "Yeah. Uh. You nervous?"

Izuku grinned. "Are you trying to comfort me, Kacchan?"

Kacchan scowled. "Jesus fuck, forget about it then."

"No, no!" Izuku laughed. "Sorry for teasing you. Yeah, actually, I'm a little nervous." Kacchan's scowl slid off his face. "But not in a bad way! I'm not sure if I can beat Todoroki, but I'm confident that I can at least put up a good fight. I have a strategy. Really, I'm kind of… excited." Izuku laced his fingers behind his head and chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still annoyed at him from earlier, but… he's also a good measuring stick, you know?"

Kacchan nodded. "Yeah. You're gonna win though. You owe me a fight, after all."

Izuku felt like someone had stuck a heat lamp in his chest. His smile grew wider, somehow. Kacchan didn't lie to spare others' feelings. If he didn't think Izuku would win, he wouldn't say so. "Thanks, Kacchan."

The blonde smiled just slightly. "Alright I gotta go wash up so I can see your fight. Later."

The two of them parted ways, but Izuku's grin didn't last long. Endeavor rounded the corner right in front of him.

"Oh, there you are," the flaming man said.

"Wha- E-Endeavor?" Izuku's newfound confidence fled him at the sight of the massive man in front of him. He had an Endeavor action figure. It was surreal to think that the hero was there in the flesh, apparently seeking him out. "Um. What are you doing here?"

"I watched your fights," Endeavor replied. "You have an impressive quirk. It reminds me of All Might."

Izuku gulped. "You think so? Thanks. I have to go now." He walked awkwardly around the man's huge frame. He wasn't sure how to act around Endeavor, now that he knew what a terrible father and husband he'd been. Izuku had to quickly recalibrate his entire view of the number two hero. He'd never imagined that famous heroes like Endeavor could be so… _monstrous_ in their personal lives.

"It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might," called Endeavor. "A quirk like yours… it could be a good testing ground for him." Endeavor paused. "Please try not to disgrace yourself."

Izuku froze. He couldn't help but think back to Todoroki's words from before the tournament round. His classmate was so screwed up, enough that he refused to use half of his power… all because this stubborn man was so obsessed with the past. He was so caught up in his anger that he barely heard Endeavor apologize for disturbing him.

"I am not All Might," gritted Izuku.

"Yes, obviously-"

"And Todoroki isn't you!" he finished. Izuku turned around to glower at Endeavor. That's what it came down to, after all. Endeavor wanted to use Todoroki because he saw the boy as a reflection of himself. Todoroki wanted to fight Izuku because he viewed him as a measuring stick for All Might. He refused to use his left side because he didn't want to be his father. Neither of them got the fact that they weren't Endeavor and All Might. No matter how much Endeavor might wish otherwise, they were Todoroki and Izuku. He didn't know if the man understood him or not, but he didn't have any more time to waste.

Izuku turned around and walked towards the stadium entrance without a backward glance. He wasn't here for Endeavor. His goal was to beat Todoroki. Izuku entered the stadium with his head held high. He stared straight at Todoroki as they ascended the stairs. In the background, Present Mic was chatting about their accomplishments to the audience, trying to build the hype for the first match of the semifinals. Izuku ignored all of that.

"Todoroki," he called quietly.

"Hm." Todoroki looked just as intent as he was.

"I met your dad just now." Izuku smiled as Todoroki's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Even with that brief exchange… I think I understand you a bit better." His smile fell off his face, replaced with a glare. "But if you still think you can hold back against me and win… I'll destroy you," he promised.

Todoroki scoffed. "Midoriya. I've already said everything I have to say about that."

Izuku nodded. Alright then. If that's the way it was going to be, then fine. He had his suspicions about the limits of Todoroki's ice. Ochaco's fight had tipped him off. If Todoroki was capable of taking out his opponents in one shot like he had with Sero, then why not just do the same with Ochaco? He didn't seem like the type to hold back against a girl, or for the sake of making his opponent look better. No, Todoroki must have some limits; Izuku suspected that his display against Sero had been his top strength. Plus, he'd noticed that Todoroki's ice always originated from his body. Was there some sort of maximum to how much ice his body could create?

Izuku's hand trembled by his side. Todoroki probably noticed it, given the way his scowl deepened. Izuku smirked. It wasn't against the rules unless the proctors said so. When Present Mic finally called the match to a start, Izuku swung his hand across his body, releasing the attack he'd been storing up during the hero's chattering. Todoroki swore and created a wall of ice behind him to brace himself against the winds.

He should've used the opening to run towards his opponent. With his enhanced strength, his best bet was to get into close quarters and try to blow Todoroki away. Instead, Izuku grimaced and stayed put, using the time to gather more energy to his palms. It made him a massive hypocrite, but somewhere along the lines his priorities had shifted. He didn't just want to win anymore, he wanted to beat Todoroki at his best.

Izuku huffed, and began walking calmly towards Todoroki. The other boy narrowed his eyes and sent another wave of ice towards him. He waited until it nearly reached him—Izuku wanted to wear Todoroki down, after all. Then, he slapped the ice as if he were swatting a fly, shattering it into pieces. Todoroki used another attack, and Izuku destroyed it with his other hand. Next time, he kicked it. The blast wasn't as strong, but it was effective enough.

"I can keep going faster than you can recharge your smashes, Midoriya!" shouted Todoroki.

Izuku shrugged. "Who says I need them?"

Todoroki scowled, but a light dusting of frost coated his left arm. The next wave of ice was just a hair slower. Izuku clenched his fist, enhancing his strength as much as he could. He punched the approaching attack, and the front of it shattered. Unlike before, the rest of the line wasn't blown away, but it was effective enough to stop the wave in its tracks.

"You're shivering, Todoroki," Izuku observed. "Your quirk makes you cold. If you used your left side I bet it wouldn't be an issue."

His statement was answered with a spike of ice that Izuku batted aside like it was nothing. Truthfully, Todoroki's attacks were incredibly strong, even weakened, and it took all of his strength to fight them off. Still, half the battle was maintaining appearances. Izuku grinned. "That one was even weaker. Are you getting tired?"

"Why the hell do you even care?" shouted Todoroki. "Did my father pay you off or something."

Izuku clenched his fists, reminded of why he'd been so irritated. "Will you stop with that? 'My father' this, 'my father' that." He scoffed. "Do you ever do anything for yourself?"

Todoroki opened his mouth to reply, and Izuku thrust his palm forward, releasing the smash that he'd been preparing. It was a waste; he'd have been better off saving it for defense, but he didn't want to hear any more of the crap that came out of his classmate's mouth. Todoroki barely caught himself in time, surprised as he was by the attack.

"Look," began Izuku. "I can't possibly pretend to understand what you've been through. I know that. But don't you see? You go on and on about how much you hate your dad, but you've defined your whole life by him."

Whatever Todoroki thought he was going to say, it clearly wasn't that. He gaped at Izuku. "What-"

"You're telling me your dream—the whole reason you want to become a hero—is just so that you can piss him off by not using his quirk?" Izuku spat. He was winding himself up now. "You won't use his quirk because you don't want to give him the satisfaction, but you never once stopped to realize that his satisfaction _doesn't matter_. All you're doing is wondering what will make him mad. Have you even bothered to ask what would make you _happy_?"

Todoroki swallowed. "I- It would make me happy to see him understand that I don't need-"

"That's still him!" Izuku punched another spike of ice out the way. "That's defining yourself based on his expectations, even though it's intentionally _counter_ to them."

Todoroki was trembling in earnest now. Izuku felt ice creep up his legs, trapping him in place. Sneaky. He hadn't even noticed it. However, it was only the work of moments to punch it, knocking it out of the way. Izuku closed the distance between them, fisting the front of Todoroki's shirt. The other boy grabbed his wrist, encasing it in ice. Izuku hissed in pain and threw him across the arena, until he skidded to a stop in the center. He could bolster himself against blunt force but apparently cold was still harmful to him. Good to know.

"You could've thrown me out of bounds, Midoriya." Todoroki called. "I thought you were going to come at me with your all?"

Izuku stared at him. "Why are you even doing this?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"What's the point? So you become the number one hero, using just your right side. What next? You call him up every day and remind him about it? Do you even care about being a hero except to spite him?" Izuku shook his head. "If that's all that matters to you—spite and ambition—then it doesn't matter which quirk you use. You'll just become his mirror image."

"Shut up!" screamed Todoroki. "You don't know shit! I'm nothing like him!" He thrust a fist towards Izuku, shooting large icicles at him. Izuku crossed his arms in front of his face, letting them impact him harmlessly.

"Really? Because when I see him, all I see is how much he hates All Might. And when I look at you, all I see is how much you hate him… how much you hate the parts of yourself that you think he gave you."

"I will reject every part of him!" spat Todoroki. "I will foreswear his accursed quirk-"

Izuku couldn't help it. He snapped. He immediately closed the distance between them and punched Todoroki in the stomach, sending him skidding backwards. "God damn it!" Izuku screamed. "It's not his fucking quirk!" He panted in anger. "It's _your_ power. I'm not All Might. You're not your father. The only person who can make you anything like him is _you_. If you don't want to be like him, then _don't be_ but stop pretending that you're punishing anyone except for yourself!"

Todoroki froze, starting at him, but Izuku knew that it wasn't him that Todoroki was seeing. The boy seemed to be deeply conflicted, almost like he was caught up in memories. Izuku waited for him to decide what he was going to do next, eyes widening when he first saw smoke rising from the left side of his body. "Holy crap," muttered Izuku. "Did that actually work?"

His astonishment was quickly replaced by glee when flames sprang into being on Todoroki's left side, quickly blazing into a roaring inferno.

"What are you smiling about, Midoriya?"

Izuku grinned wider. "I'm just really excited to finally fight _you_ … Shoto."

When Shoto attacked, his ice was as strong as it'd been during his match against Sero. Izuku couldn't help but laugh as he jumped over it, assisted by shockwaves from his feet. He ran along the ice, miniature shockwaves keeping it from ensnaring him. Izuku was pushing himself too hard. He could feel the skin on the soles of his feet split since he wasn't giving himself enough time to prepare them safely. Still, how could he hold back after lecturing Shoto about the same?

Shoto drew his left arm back, flames burning brightly. Whatever was coming, it was going to be intense. Izuku pressed his palms together, energy crackling between them. He needed more, more, _more_. The skin on the palms of his hand cracked open as Izuku forced more power through his pores than they could handle. Strangely enough, the pain brought him clarity. What he needed wasn't just overwhelming power, but also pinpoint precision.

Izuku sprang forward, angling his body like a dart, so that all of his momentum was concentrated behind his outstretched hands. "TOKYO SMASH!" he screamed, but it was drowned out by the screech of their attacks making contact with cement walls. He released another shockwave from his feet to keep Shoto's blast from blowing him backwards, even as he felt its heat rushing around him on all sides. The angle of his body should've made his attack act more like a sword than a cudgel, cutting through the force of Shoto's move while still carrying its own power forward.

It wasn't until the dust cleared that Izuku was even sure that he was still in the arena. He'd fallen onto his chest close to the edge, but still within bounds. Shoto, on the other hand, had his back pressed to the wall. He winced as he pushed himself to a standing position. Izuku's hands and feet hurt something fierce, and his entire body felt like it'd gone through the wringer. Still, he plastered a grin on his face. A hero had to look confident, especially when he was most injured.

"Incredible! Todoroki is out of bounds. The winner, and advancing to the final match… is MIDORIYA!"

Izuku ignored the cheers and screams from the stands, wincing with each step he took towards Shoto. When he finally got there, the boy was groaning and rousing himself. Izuku extended a bloody hand down to his opponent.

"I'm sorry if what I said was out of line," Izuku said solemnly. "Please forgive me. I was wrong about you."

Shoto shook his head, but grabbed Izuku's hand, blood and all. "No you weren't," he refuted. "But… for just a moment, I forgot that I was his son. So thank you."

After Izuku pulled Shoto to his feet, the boy turned and walked towards the exit tunnel. "Hey, Shoto!" called Izuku. The boy paused. "It was… it was good to finally meet you for real."

Shoto didn't turn around, but he nodded once before he walked out of the arena. Izuku wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing, but looking at the place where Shoto's flames had burned away his uniform… Izuku felt lighter than he had when he walked into the stadium. He only had one more fight left. Only one more challenge separated him from being number one.

Something told him that it might just be his hardest fight yet.

A/N: So I'm not trying to bash Shinsou here. I like him, and I think he's got a lot of potential as a character. That being said, he's portrayed in canon as extremely ambitious, and not just a little bitter. The very first thing he does in the fight against Izuku is insult Ojiro. Like, that was his opening move. I have no doubts that he'd only get nastier and nastier from there, trying to provoke a response. I don't think that it's because he's a bad person, but rather because he's desperate to prove himself, and sees this as his one shot. We're going to see his good side eventually, but uh, he's definitely going to dig himself into a hole, first.

Also, I have bad news for you all. I'm going to be busy moving thousands of miles and such for a short while, so there will be no update next week. The next chapter is pending updates and should be posted in two weeks, but if I'm not on the dot, don't freak out. It'll get up when I'm all settled in and ready.


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